The Choice
by imayhaveapoint
Summary: Jackson Avery is a fifth year resident at Seattle Grace when the hospital merges with Mercy West. The merger has an unexpected impact on him, and when he finds himself caught between the life he wants for himself and his mother's expectations of him, he has to make a choice. (A bit AU/definitely a Japril story)
1. Chapter 1

**This story is a bit AU because it doesn't follow the Grey's timeline as we saw it on the show. If it helps, this could have taken place around season 8, but a few things are different. The merger with Mercy West didn't happen in season 6, but it is about to happen. However, in this reality, Jackson is one of the original Seattle Grace residents and April is a Mercy West resident. I should also mention that Derek, Izzie, and George aren't in this reality. Sorry if that makes anyone sad! If anything else in this reality doesn't make sense, just ask and I will try to make it more clear. Thanks in advance for reading, and I hope you like chapter one of The Choice.**

Chapter One

"Evil Spawn, I heard you choked in your surgery." Cristina pops a french fry in her mouth and gloats across the lunch table to Karev as he sits down next to us. She loves to feel superior to the rest us, and maybe she is, but damn it gets annoying.

"Shut – up. I didn't choke. Hunt just expects me to know everything. I'm a freakin' resident. How the hell was I supposed to know how to do an arterial repair?" I can tell that Alex is paying way more attention to his lunch tray than usual, hoping Cristina will just drop it and let him eat his meal in peace.

Instead, she throws her head back laughing so loudly the table next to us turns and stares. "An arterial repair? That's what you choked on?! Oh my God, Karev. We learned that like our second year. Oh this is great. This. Is. Great. Where's Mer? I gotta tell her." She picks up her tray and walks away from us, still laughing out loud the entire way out of the cafeteria.

Once she's gone, Alex looks over at me out of the corner of his eye. "What?" he growls.

I hold my hands up to let him know there is no need to be defensive with me. "Nothin' man. No judgement here. We both know I've had my share of screw-ups."

"Oh, yeah right. Like pretty boy Avery would ever make a mistake. Pretty sure Mommy would ground you if you did." Alex can be an ass at times, most of the time really, but after working with him for five years we've gotten fairly close. I know giving people crap is his way of deflecting attention off himself, so I don't let him get to me.

"Look, I'm just saying, we've all been there. Besides, by the end of the day no one will even remember what happened in your OR. We'll have bigger things to worry about – like keeping our jobs." I take a drink of my orange juice, shaking my head. "I don't know who thought this was a good idea anyway."

"Crap. Is that today? Dude, all I know is that if they are forcing us to merge our hospital with these Mercy West people, they at least better be hot. I need to get laid." He raises his eyebrows to me as if I'm going to agree with him. Karev and I might be friends, but I don't share his affinity for rotating women in and out of the on-call rooms.

"What? None of the nurses will sleep with you anymore?"

"Hey. Plenty of chicks want to sleep with me. I'm just saying, I need a new challenge. Besides, two out of the three of them are chicks. We've got like a 50/50 shot that one of them will be hot."

I lean back in my chair, crossing my arms. "You're terrible, man. Well, I hope for your sake, they are hot and kind of slutty."

"Yeah, well, not all of us can have an arranged marriage. Must be nice to be surgery royalty." He mimics my stance, crossing his arms as well.

"I don't have an arranged marriage. I don't have – anything. I don't even know how I feel about her. I mean, she's nice. She's a good surgeon. Whatever." I shrugged my shoulder not really wanting to talk about it.

"She's nice? Come on, man. Is that any way to talk about the future Mrs. Avery? And don't act like you don't know it's true. Your mom practically fawns over her every time she comes to town. It's like she heard her name and started picturing your name next to hers on a marriage license. She makes you bring her to dinners, she introduced her to your grandfather. And we both know she is going to expect you to bring her to that stupid ball your family puts on every year. Face it man, you and Meredith Grey are headed down the aisle, whether you like it or not." He grabs his tray and stands to leave. "Let me know when the fresh meat gets here, especially if their hot." He claps his hand on my back and yells over his shoulder as he walks away, "Tell Grey hi for me!"

As much as I don't want to admit it, he is right. My mother has been trying to push me and Meredith together since the moment she figured out she was Ellis Grey's daughter. Every time we talk she brings her up. "How's Meredith?" "Have you seen Meredith?" "You should ask Meredith about the double kidney transplant surgery her mother did. I'm sure it's a fascinating story." And then when she is in town, it's even worse. They go shopping together, Meredith is at every dinner at my house, and lately she's been at every Avery function, as well. And it's been going on so long, that I'm starting to get the feeling Meredith is expecting more. I've seen her looking at me a little too long and finding reasons to touch me. I don't know. It's not like I don't like her. She's pretty enough, I guess. She's nice. A good surgeon. I just feel like I can't tell if I'm interested in her or if I'm settling because I want my mom's approval. And I certainly won't be able to figure it out now because I see her heading toward me.

"Hey Jackson," she says sitting down next to me. "Did you hear about Karev? Cristina said he choked in surgery."

"Uh, yeah. I heard that."

"Can you believe it? I mean, come on, we're about to be attendings and he can't handle an arterial repair. What if he fails his boards?" She leans closer to me, eyes wide, and I can tell she is so excited that she has gossip to share with me.

"He'll pass. He'll be fine. God, we all make mistakes. I wouldn't want any one going around hoping I fail my boards." Considering the four of us have made it through five years of residency together, I can't believe Cristina and Mer still get excited about other people's failures. They could at least try to be supportive of the residents who are supposed to be their friends.

"Oh, Jackson, lighten up. I never said I hope he fails. I'm just saying it's possible. But at least we know you and I will be fine, right? I mean, we were born for this." She smiles at me and places a hand on my leg. I have to fight the urge to move it, but I don't want to hurt her feelings.

"Yeah." Not knowing what else to say, I decide this is a good time to exit. "I, uh, I've got a consult with Sloan, so I should go."

"Sloan? Jackson, you're not seriously considering specializing in plastics, are you? I mean, you're an Avery. Don't you think you could do something more…challenging? Do you really want to spend your life giving women nose jobs and fake boobs?" The judgmental look on her face is all I need to scoot my chair back, intentionally causing her hand to fall to her side.

"More challenging? More challenging than reconstructing the face of a child who has been in a car accident? Or who was born with a cleft lip? Or maybe you mean more challenging than giving a burn victim a chance at having a normal life again? Giving them the opportunity to go in public without being stared at and ridiculed? What exactly do you think would be more challenging than that?" I know my tone is angry, but I don't care at the moment.

She scoffs, brushing me off. "You know what I meant, Jackson. Geez. What's gotten into you today?"

"Nothing Mer," I say with a sigh. "I'll see you later."

I can feel her eyes following me as I walk away, but I don't look back.

"Avery! My man! You ready to change someone's life?" As usual, Sloan is way too excited to see me. He has some weird, paternal feeling about mentoring me, I think. And if I'm being honest, I don't really mind.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm ready"

"Man, what happened to you? You look like someone ran over your dog. Can you at least pretend to be excited about the magic I am about to show you?" He looks slightly offended, and now I feel bad.

"Sorry, Dr. Sloan. I'm excited. I am. I just ran into Meredith and-" He cut me off before I can finish.

"What she wouldn't give you any? Are you losing your touch, Avery? Come on, you're one half of the Plastics Posse. Women love us…and we love women." He's raising his eyebrows in a way that I'm sure women must find creepy.

"What? No! No. I am not trying to get in Meredith's pants. It's not like that."

"Well, it should be. She can't stop ogling you every time the two of you are in the same room together. You could definitely get that if you want it."

The only thing I want right now is to change the subject. "So, anyway, what's this magic we're doing today?"

Sloan crosses the room to pick up a stack of photos off the table. "You and I, are building some ears."

"We're what?"

"That's right. You heard me. We are gonna build a kid some ears. He doesn't have any, wasn't born with them. And you and I, are gonna change that. What did I tell you, Avery? Magic, right?"

I can't help but smile. "Definitely magic."

"Dude are you hiding?" Alex comes around the corner of the shelf I'm leaning against in the research library. I'm sitting on the floor surrounded by stacks of books, reading everything I can about constructing ears.

"No, I'm working. Why aren't you?"

"I'm working. I'm just taking a break." He leans over to see what I'm reading. "Ears? You're doing an ear surgery with Sloan?"

I don't look up from my page, hoping he will get the hint that I need to concentrate. "Uh, yeah. We're building a kid some ears."

"Huh. Maybe I should-" Whatever he was going to say is interrupted by both of our phones going off. We check them at the same time, and I see that I have a text from Meredith.

 _Meredith – The Mercy Westers are here. Meet me in the lobby. Should be interesting to see what we got stuck with._

"Did you get this text from Mer?" Alex holds up his phone to show me his screen says the same as mine. I nod, and he stands, pulling me up by the arm. "Let's go. I need to meet my future one night stand."

I leave my notepad and books there on the floor, and follow him to the main lobby. All I see when we arrive is half the employees of Seattle Grace staring at a group of people in orange scrubs. That must be them.

Meredith and Cristina spot us and half walk/ half run to stand by us. "Orange? Orange? Oh, I can already tell this is going to be fun." Cristina is giddy with the idea of torturing the new residents and, as usual, Meredith just smiles and nods at her suggestion.

Chief Webber is directing our new coworkers to meet the doctors in the section they will be working in, and when he sees the four of us standing nearby, he walks over to three of the Mercy Westers and after speaking to them briefly, points to us. As they walk toward us I can see the rumors were right, if these are the other fifth year residents, there are only three of them – one guy and two girls. They stop in front of us, and I immediately size up the guy. He's tall, looks strong, could be intimidating if he's a good surgeon, but we'll see about that soon enough.

"Charles Percy." He says extending a hand to each of us.

Next, a girl with short brown hair speaks up, introducing herself, her gaze lingering on Karev a little too long.

I should catch her name, but I don't. All I can do is stare at the other girl, the one standing a bit behind the first two. She has long, deep red, hair that hangs in curls down her back. Her eyes flash to me, and I can see they are green which contrasts against her hair in a way I've never seen before. She steps forward, extending her hand to me, and with a shy smile says, "I'm April. April Kepner."

"Jackson Avery."

She moves on, introducing herself to the others, but I don't hear her. All I can think of is how her hand felt in mine, and how Karev was right. We had a 50/50 shot that these girls would be hot, and at least in April's case, she definitely is.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is chapter 2! Sorry for the delay, but real life has been crazy. I really want to hear what you guys think of this. Are you here for the slow build or do you want things to move faster? And as always, thanks for reading!**

Chapter 2

"Looks like you all have had a chance to get acquainted." Chief Webber has a smile on his face, but he's wringing his hands like he does when he is nervous.

We all stare at him awkwardly, not really knowing what he expects from us next, until Cristina speaks up. "Oh, yes sir. Yes, Chief. We are all good and acquainted." Funny how when we get around our boss she is suddenly all business.

"Good. That's good. I was thinking it might be helpful if our new colleagues could shadow all of you today. You know, to get a lay of the land and such. Show 'em the ropes – how we do things here at Seattle Grace. Uh, sound good?" I don't know why he bothers posing it as a question. It's not like we have the option to say no.

I'm not really interested in being a tour guide. I want to get back to the library so I can prep for Sloan's surgery, but it looks like that will have to wait. "Sure, Chief."

"Alright, how about you split up, you know, so you can get to know one another. Uh – Dr. Percy, you go with Dr. Avery and Dr. Karev. And Dr. Grey, Dr. Yang, you two can show Dr. Reed and Dr. Kepner around. Let me know if you need anything. I'll be in my office."

No one seems thrilled at the Chief's suggestion, and after another awkward silence Karev finally says, "Come on. Let's get this over with." He heads up the stairs and I follow, looking back at Dr. Percy still standing in the same spot. "You coming?" I ask him. He exchanges a look with the doctor named Reed, mumbles, "I'll catch you guys later," and heads in my direction. He bumps into my shoulder on his way up the stairs because I stop at the bottom and turn back to see which direction the girls are headed. It looks like Cristina is giving orders already, and I laugh quietly when I see Reed roll her eyes. I must not be as quiet as I think, though, because right at that moment, April looks over at me and smiles. My stomach flutters in response, which surprises me. I can't remember ever feeling that way about a girl simply smiling at me. But her smile is different. She has a smile that lights up her entire face. It's a smile that makes me want to know what made her smile so I can do it over and over again just to keep it there. I smile back at her, and I can see from here that her cheeks flush with color. She quickly drops her eyes to the floor and then back up to Cristina, who stops giving instructions to look and see what April was reacting to. Cristina notices me looking in their direction and nudges Meredith's arm. Meredith turns to me and waves before she and Cristina head off in the opposite direction as us, with Reed and April close behind them.

"Avery! You coming or what? I'm not babysitting by myself!" Alex yells down at me from the top of the stairwell.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming." I say, and I take the steps two at a time to catch up with them.

We give Percy the basic tour of the building. We show him the cafeteria, a couple of ORs, and where to find his schedule. We purposely skip over showing him the on-call rooms with the most comfortable beds and the vending machines that don't eat your money. He'll have to figure that stuff out on his own just like we did. We end the tour in the resident's lounge so he can grab a locker to throw his stuff in. For some reason, Karev decides this is a good time to drill him with questions.

Alex plops down in a chair and throws his feet up on the table. "So, what's with the orange scrubs? You guys really wear those things at Mercy West?"

Percy looks down at his scrubs and then to Alex, "Uh, no. These came from here. They said they ordered us the blue ones, but they aren't in yet, so we had to wear these today. Guess it makes it easier to spot the new people anyway."

I sit down next to Karev since I don't really know what else we would show this guy anyway. Might as well hang out in here for a while. Karev pulls some red Twizzlers out of the pocket of his lab coat and offers me one. I shake my head and he bites off a piece, obnoxiously chewing and asking more questions. "So, what's up with the two chicks you came in with? They're hot. Are you doing one of 'em? Or both of 'em?"

"Really Karev?" I'm pretty used to his brashness, but we just met this guy.

Percy looks annoyed, "No, I'm not _doing_ either of them. Geez, man."

Not taking the hint, Alex continues, "Why not? What's wrong with them? Are they crazy? Dude, did you try and they shot you down?"

A part of me knows I should tell Alex to shut up, but another part of me kind of wants to hear his answer. I do want to know more about the redhead. I just wasn't going to be so obvious about it.

Percy sighs and sits down across from us. "No, they didn't shoot me down. They're my friends, so I wasn't trying. Besides Reed just broke up with some guy. She probably doesn't even want a relationship..." He trails off a bit at the end, and I can tell that even if he hasn't tried to get with Reed, he sure has thought about it.

Alex is way too happy to hear this information. "Oh, so she's probably looking for a rebound, huh? Rebound sex is the best. They don't even want commitment. This is perfect."

Percy sits up a bit in his chair and seems defensive, "I didn't say she was looking for rebound sex. She probably just needs some space."

"Dude, everyone is looking for rebound sex after a breakup. You didn't have to say it." He smacks me on the arm. "This merger may not be so terrible after all."

"Yeah," I clear my throat and try to sound casual when I ask, "And what about the redhead? April, was it? What's her story?"

He shrugs his shoulders, "I don't know April as well as Reed, but if you're asking if she's going to drop her panties for you anytime soon, don't count on it. She doesn't seem the type. If she had a guy during residency she never talked about him to us. She pretty much just focused on work, but like I said, I don't really know."

I want to ask more, but the door opens and Meredith and Cristina enter followed closely by the two women we were just discussing.

Cristina takes one look at us and says, "Wow, it didn't take long for you guys to start slacking. Is that what you are teaching this guy? How _not_ to get surgeries?"

Alex throws a Twizzler at her and says, "Can it, Yang."

I'm so busy laughing at them that I don't notice Meredith walk behind me until I feel her hand slide across my shoulders. Looking down at me and asks, "So are you guys done with your tour?"

I don't look up at her. Instead, I look over at April in time to see her eyes look to Meredith and then fall to Meredith's hand on my shoulder before she looks away. Damn it.

I stand up, breaking Meredith's connection with my shoulder and cross to the other side of the table. "Yeah, we're done."

"Oh good," Meredith replies. "I just called the chief to let him know we were finished. He said that we should send Dr. Reed and Dr. Kepner to his office. Dr. Percy, you can just go with them. He'll probably want to see you, too."

"Sounds good." Percy was clearly happy to be rid of us because he was out the door first with Reed and April not far behind him.

The door is barely shut when Yang turns to us with wide eyes and says, "Oh my God. Was he as awful as they were?"

"Uh, he was fine. What do you mean?" I don't know if I should even ask. Cristina is critical of most people before they prove themselves to her.

Cristina falls into the chair that I am no longer occupying and grabs a Twizzler out of Alex's hand. "Let's just say we don't have to worry about either of them when it comes to competing for surgeries. Reed couldn't stop complaining about everything until we ran into Sloan, and then she couldn't stop drooling over him. Clearly she needs to get laid."

"Yes!" Alex pumps his fist in the air.

"Don't be such a pig." Cristina looks at him in disgust. "And the other one was _so_ annoying. Ugh!" She changes her voice to a higher pitch, mocking April, " _Yes, Dr. Yang. Yes, Dr. Grey. Oh, we really appreciate you giving us this tour. We really look forward to working with you._ Gross. How is she a surgeon with that personality?"

"So, basically, April's nice? You don't like her because she's nice?" I was right. Cristina's opinion of the new residents was exactly what I thought it would be. None of them live up to her standards.

Meredith rolls her eyes at me. "You can't be a good surgeon and be a pushover, Jackson. We all know that. All we'll have to do is say please and she'll hand over any surgery we want. I don't see how she even made it to fifth year. But whatever, more OR time for us." She smiles at me as if she expects me to agree, but I don't. Instead, I grab my stethoscope off the table, throw it around my neck, and head for the door. Meredith calls after me. "Where are you going?"

"I have a surgery to prep for," I answer before the door closes behind me.

By the time I get home that night, it is almost midnight. Sloan let me lead during the ear surgery, but it didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped. Once we got in there we realized his ear canals were much smaller than we thought, and the approach I was taking wasn't working, so Sloan had to take over. He said that it wasn't a big deal cause I got to learn a new technique, but I felt like an idiot. I'm about to be an attending. I shouldn't need one to take over my surgeries anymore. After that, I just want to have a couple beers and pass out in my bed.

When I walk in, I kick off my shoes by the door and see Alex on the couch with a beer of his own watching football. I grab a bottle from the fridge and flop down on the other end of the couch. "How'd the surgery with Sloan go?" he asks.

I just shake my head and take a drink of my beer.

"That sucks, man." he says.

I don't really want to talk about my surgery, so I change the subject to something I know he wants to discuss. "Did you get a chance to talk to the Mercy West girls?" After I left him, Cristina, and Mer in the lounge, I spent the rest of the day in the research library and then the OR. I had hoped to get a chance to talk to them, well, talk to April really, but they were long gone by the time I got out of surgery.

"Yup. Reed is totally looking for a rebound. And Webber paired all the Mercy Westers with one of us for surgeries tomorrow. I requested her. Hopefully I can find some time to teach her some of my techniques." He raises his eyebrows at me as if I don't already know what he really means.

"Good luck with that, man...so, what about Kepner and Percy? Do you know who they are with?" I don't know why, but I find myself hoping that April is with me. It's stupid. I barely know her, but there is something about her that makes me want to.

"Sorry man, you got stuck with Kepner." He throws his head back and finishes off the beer he is drinking.

"Why are you sorry?"

"I think Mer and Cristina are right. She is annoying. I was with her for two minutes today and she couldn't stop talking about how happy she was to be there and all this weird, perky crap. She might be hot, but the only way I could do her is if she didn't talk the whole time." He gets up to throw away his bottle and grab another beer from the fridge. His comment pisses me off for some reason. It's not like April and I are friends or anything, but I don't like hearing him talk about "doing her."

"She can't be that bad." I say as my lame attempt to defend her.

"You might change your mind after your stuck with her for a whole day. Maybe you'll get lucky and you can ditch her."

His comments are just making me angrier, so I decide to head to my room. I set my half-empty beer on the coffee table and stand. "I'm going to bed, man. See ya tomorrow."

He nods his head in my direction and turns his attention back to the TV.

I close my bedroom door and collapse on to my bed. It feels amazing to lie down after such a long day. All I want is to turn off my brain and sleep, but that isn't so easy. My mind keeps picturing April's face when she noticed Meredith touching my shoulders today. I wish she hadn't seen that. Mer and I aren't even together. We're - friends? Hell, I don't know. I don't know why I am even thinking about this. I barely know April, so why am I lying here wondering what she was thinking?

I'm completely exhausted, but I force myself to get up and take off my shirt and pants before crawling back into bed. I set my alarm on my phone and plug it in next to my night stand. I try to push all thoughts of today out of my mind - the crappy surgery, this weird thing I have with Meredith, the merger - I don't want to think about any of it. I throw my arm over my eyes and sigh. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

It feels like only a couple hours pass before my alarm goes off. I grab my phone to push snooze, but then I remember what Alex said last night, and I turn off my alarm instead. If I'm working with April all day, I don't really want to make a crappy first impression by being late. I shower quickly and head to the hospital, grabbing an apple to eat in the car on the way there.

The attending's rotation list hangs by the door of the resident's lounge, and I pause to see who I am with today. My name and April's are listed next to Sloan's. Two days in a row? Maybe he doesn't actually think I'm a complete failure after yesterday. I put on my lab coat and head to the elevator. Just as I push the button, Sloan walks around the corner with April right beside him.

"Avery! There's my guy. Dr. Kepner, have you met Dr. Avery yet?"

April smiles shyly at me and then looks back to Sloan. "Um, yes. We met yesterday."

"Well, good! Avery's a good guy. Nice hands." He raises his eyebrows suggestively and leans toward April when he says that last part. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail today, so it is easy to see her cheeks turn a deep crimson response to what Sloan is implying. She looks down to the floor, embarrassed, and I can't help but think how cute she looks.

I quickly change the subject hoping to relieve some of her embarrassment. "So, what's on the schedule today, Dr. Sloan?"

Sloan turns his attention back to me, "Trauma just came in to the pit. House fire – which means burns. Dr. Kepner and I were heading down there to see what's going on." He starts walking toward the ER, throwing an arm over my shoulder and leans down to say something only I can hear. "I know you got needs Avery, and if Grey's not giving it up, maybe you should check out Kepner."

"You really do think about sex all the time, don't you?" I ask him.

He looks confused, "What? You don't? Besides, Kepner might be a little perky, but she's got a great rack. Don't tell me you haven't noticed." He slaps me on the back, and speeds up to walk ahead of us. April is at my side now, and I look over at her, hoping she didn't hear what Sloan said.

"You ready for today?" I ask.

She looks over to me and smiles. "I think so. I mean, I'm a little nervous. New hospital and all. Not that I haven't done this before, I have. I mean, not this. I haven't been in a merger before. I just mean, surgery. I've done surgery before. Well, obviously. I'm a fifth year. Can't make it to fifth year without doing surgery. And Sloan's been really nice. And so have you of course. I didn't mean that –" She abruptly stops talking and I look over to see why.

I follow her gaze and realize that I didn't even notice we made it to the ER. Her eyes are on the patient in front of us. Sloan was right, the patient on the gurney has extensive third degree burns down the majority of the right side of her body. I look over to April who is standing with her eyes closed, and I wonder if she is going to be sick. I've been working with Sloan for a while. Burns don't bother me, but this might be new for her. These burns are bad, and the smell of charred flesh is still lingering. I turn to her to tell her she doesn't have to stay on this case if she doesn't want to, but before I can say anything, she opens her eyes and all the nervousness from before is gone. She looks focused and jumps in to help Sloan.

"I'll get a full blood panel, CBC, and a chest x-ray to check for lung damage. Anything else you need, Dr. Sloan?" She grabs a needle from Sloan's tray and starts putting in a central line in the patient's left thigh.

Sloan opens his mouth to answer, but hesitates, clearly impressed. "Kepner…did you do a lot of plastics work at Mercy West?"

She answers him, never taking her eyes off her work. "Uh, no. Not plastics, trauma. I'm thinking of specializing in trauma."

"Trauma, huh?" Sloan smiles at her. "So, you're an adrenaline junky? I wouldn't have pegged you for a trauma gal, but I like it. It's hot."

April laughs quietly, getting used to Sloan's bluntness. "Uh, thank you?"

Sloan looks at me watching April work and says, "Avery! What are you doing just standing there? Get over here and help me dress these burns."

"Oh, yeah, sure Dr. Sloan." I begin assessing the burns on our patient's leg. I let out a low hiss when I see how much damage there is up close. "Man, these are deep." I grab the dressings Sloan has already made and start wrapping the burned leg. "She's going to need a lot of skin grafts."

Dr. Bailey appears at the foot of the bed and tells Dr. Sloan the patient's husband is in the waiting room and would like to speak to him. "You're in charge, Avery," he says before tossing his gloves in the trash and following Bailey to the waiting room.

I look over at April from the corner of my eye. She is done with the central line and is checking for fluid in the lungs. I can't believe I ever thought she was nervous. She is far from nervous. She is completely in her element. "You're good." I say to her.

She looks over at me and smiles. "What? Did you think I wouldn't be?"

"No! No, not at all. I didn't think that at all. I just, well, I saw you close your eyes when you saw the patient, and I wasn't sure you were going to be able to handle this. Clearly, I was wrong. You're kind of amazing actually."

"Thank you," she says quietly before looking back at the screen. And then almost so quiet, I'm not sure if I imagine it, she says, "You're pretty amazing, too."

Plenty of people have called me amazing before. I'm an Avery. Most of my life I've gotten undeserved compliments from people just because of my last name. But when April says it, I actually believe that she means it. "Thanks…um…do you have plans for lunch? Do you maybe wanna-"

I don't get to finish my invitation because the curtain giving our patient privacy is ripped open by Meredith and Cristina.

"There you are Jackson! I've been looking for you all morning." Meredith stands there waiting for a response, although I think it is pretty obvious where I have been.

"Uh, yeah. Kinda busy here." I tell her, hoping she will get the hint.

"Oh, Avery, don't act like you're doing some amazing surgery or something. It's a skin graft. I just did a double bypass by myself. Now that's a cool surgery." Cristina doesn't miss an opportunity to brag.

"I keep telling him that he should pick a different specialty. I mean, plastics is fine, but he's Jackson _Avery_." Meredith rolls her eyes and sighs.

"Did you two need something or did you just come in here to tell me how unimpressive I am?" I ask the question without looking up. I don't really care what the answer is at this point anyway.

"We just wanted to make sure you're meeting us for lunch. We're meeting Alex in the cafeteria at noon. Does that work for you?" Meredith asks.

"Noon? Well, I don't have a surgery, but-" I try to tell them I have other plans, but they aren't interested in my answer.

"Great, see you then." They turn to leave, but Meredith turns back and looks over at April. "Sorry, April. It's kind of a Grey-Sloan resident thing."

April smiles sweetly, "Oh, no problem. I understand."

"Besides, I'm sure you'd rather eat with your own friends, right?" It's more of a hint than a question and Meredith and Cristina don't wait for her response.

I sigh, frustrated that I didn't just tell them I couldn't eat with them, and get back to dressing the patient's leg.

After a couple minutes, April's voice breaks the silence. "You okay?"

I look up at her, surprised she noticed my irritation.

"I'm sorry. It's none of my business. I just…um...I know my opinion doesn't matter, but for the record? I think Plastics is kind of bad ass. I mean, you're literally saving this woman's skin and giving her back her life. That's incredible." Her smile is so genuine that I know she means it. No one else has ever told me they think I made the right decision by choosing plastics.

I meet her gaze, and I can see she is unsure of whether she should have said that, but hearing her say those things was something I really needed. "Your opinion does matter, April. It matters to me."


	3. Chapter 3

For the rest of the morning Sloan has April and I monitoring his post-ops, including our burn victim. Between running labs, checking incisions for infection, and keeping charts updated, we don't have much time to talk. I finally get a couple of minutes free, so I lean my head in to the patient's room where I last saw her, but instead of April, it's Dr. Sloan standing next to the patient's bed.

He sees me standing in the doorway and stops writing, "Need something Avery?"

"No, sir. Actually, I was looking for Dr. Kepner."

Sloan grins at me proudly, "I bet you are!"

I shake my head and sigh. "Nevermind. If you see her will you just let her know I went to lunch?"

"You can tell her yourself. She just went to lunch. You'll probably see her down there." He turns his attention back to the chart and I turn to leave. I don't get very far before I hear him yell, "Tell her I said hi, Avery!"

I laugh to myself, a part of me knowing that Sloan is right. I _am_ trying to spend time with April. Being around her is a nice change from the residents I am used to working with. All they care about is getting ahead – getting the best surgeries, getting recognition. And it's not like she isn't interested in those things, too. She's good. She's very good. But she's a great surgeon and still treats people like human beings. She doesn't cut them open and walk away. She has been in our burn victim's room at least five times this morning just to check on her husband and see how he is doing. I have never seen a doctor who cares so much. We could use more doctors like her around here.

I grab a sandwich, an apple, and a drink from the food line and look for a place to sit. I spot April across the room sitting alone. She is reading something, but I can't tell what it is from here. I head toward her table, but stop when I hear Meredith's voice call my name, "Jackson!" Crap. I completely forgot about eating lunch with them.

April looks up at me when she hears Meredith yell my name and gives me a small smile and a wave. I hate to see her sitting alone, and it takes everything in me to turn and go sit with Meredith, Cristina, and Alex. I drop my tray on the table and take the seat next to Alex. I look back at April again, hoping I didn't hurt her feelings, but she is looking down at her salad and not at me.

"Earth to Avery!" Cristina throws a grape at my forehead, and it bounces off and lands on the table.

Annoyed, I ask her, "What?"

"Why are you staring at Kepner with sad puppy dog eyes? Hasn't she annoyed you enough today?" She asks biting into a carrot.

"Uh, no. And she's not annoying. Stop calling her that. Just because she isn't ruthless doesn't mean she's annoying. I just think it's crappy that we didn't even invite her to sit with us. I mean, she's new here. We've all been the new person before. It sucks." I open my water and take a drink.

Meredith chimes in, "Yeah, it sucked, but nobody held our hand and nobody is going to hold hers."

"Oh, no one held your hand? You're Meredith _Grey_. Your mom was a legend here. They practically rolled out a red carpet for your arrival. You got to scrub in on a surgery our first day as interns while the rest of us watched from the gallery. Tell me again how no one held your hand." I can tell by the looks on their faces they are surprised by my response, but I don't care. I'm tired of them acting so superior to everyone all the time.

"You're one to talk Avery. Your mom walks through the door and the doctors all cower in fear. You could have any surgery you want if you just used your name to get it. And I don't know why you don't. Jesus, if I were an Avery I would own this hospital." Alex reminds me of his opinion of my being an Avery all the time. And he may be right about everyone being afraid of my mom, but I'm not her. And I'm not using my name to get ahead. I want people to think I'm a good surgeon because I actually am one.

I open my mouth to tell them that, but I'm interrupted by Meredith, her face suddenly lighting up with excitement, "Oh, speaking of your mom. I spoke to her last night. She told me to remind you that you need to get your tux for the Harper-Avery Gala. It's only two weeks away, you know."

"Yeah, I know. I've been going to those things my whole life. I don't need a reminder of what to wear." I know I'm being rude at this point, but talking about my mother and the gala gets old. Sometimes I think if my name wasn't Avery I'd be sitting alone at lunch like April is now.

"Oh, I heard that the head of the Cardio-thoracic program at Brigham is going to be there. Is that true?" Cristina asks me. Of course, she would see the gala as an opportunity to further her career.

"Uh, yeah. He's a friend of the family." I tell her. I rub my hand over my face and glance back over my shoulder to see April still sitting at her table.

"A friend of the family? Of course, he is. Of course. Jesus, Avery. You know, I don't understand you. You don't even appreciate what you have. You act all annoyed when anyone brings up your family, and you don't even get what a gift that is. You could have a job at any hospital in the country, but instead you're here choosing a mediocre specialty and hiding from your legacy. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and live up to your name." Cristina says all of this so matter-of-factly, like she isn't being incredibly judgmental, instead she is just stating common knowledge.

"You know what? Screw you guys." I push my chair back hard enough for it to fall over and storm out of the cafeteria.

I head to the tunnels on the bottom floor of the hospital, hoping no one is there. I just need a minute alone to get their comments out of my head. Luckily the hall is clear, and I sit on one of the empty gurneys along the wall and lean my head back against the cool cement, appreciating the silence. I hate that I let their comments bother me so much. I just get tired of hearing how I'm not living up to my name all the time. What the hell does that even mean anyway? It's _my_ name. Don't I get to set the standard for what an Avery does? Why is it already decided for me?

My thoughts are broken by the sound of quiet footsteps, and I open my eyes. April is walking toward me, but her eyes are on the ground and she seems deep in thought. When she gets to the gurneys, she looks up and is visibly startled to see me sitting there.

"Oh. I-I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone would be down here. I'll leave you alone." she looks apologetic and turns to leave.

"Wait!" I say, and she turns back to look at me. "Don't go. Come sit with me." I surprise myself by a little by asking her to stay. I came here to be alone, but now that she is here, I don't want her to leave.

She looks at me apprehensively. "Are you sure? I mean, it's fine. I can go. It's just – well, you seemed angry when you left the cafeteria, so I thought you might want to be alone."

I didn't realize she saw my outburst, and now I'm a little embarrassed that she did. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I was mad. My friends can be, uh, difficult."

She raises her eyebrows and states the obvious, "They don't seem like very good friends if they upset you that much." She walks over to the gurney I am sitting on and lifts herself up on to it, scooting back against the wall next to me. "You wanna talk about it?"

I sigh. I finally get time to talk to her alone, and we're talking about my family issues. This is not exactly how I wanted this to go. "They were just giving me crap about being an Avery and living up to my name. I just get tired of hearing it all the time. I get it enough from my mom. I don't need it from them, too. And now I have to worry about this stupid Harper Avery Gala cause the hospital is hosting it this year and all the doctors are required to go. So, all anyone wants to talk to me about is what to wear and who is going to be there. If it were up to me, I would skip the whole thing all together."

"So, why don't you?" she asks.

A laugh a little at the idea. "You haven't met my mother. I would be disowned. I would have to go into the witness protection program to escape her wrath if I didn't show up. It's fine, really. I've been going to these for as long as I can remember. I've learned how to be an acceptable enough Avery for a few hours."

She looks like she feels sorry for me. "Wow, Jackson. I had no idea. I'm sorry. I saw the flier for the gala on my lunch table, and I thought it sounded like fun, but I guess it must be different from your perspective. You can't even enjoy yourself because you're under the spotlight the whole time. That must be awful."

For a moment, I just stare at her and don't respond. I don't really know how. I've never told anyone how I feel about the Harper Avery Gala without them telling me I should stop complaining and appreciate what I have. This is the first time someone has actually listened and tried to understand how I feel. I am overwhelmed with warmth for her and how she can be so understanding of someone she barely knows. I must be staring a bit too long, because she breaks the silence by apologizing.

"I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have said anything. I don't even know anything about this gala or whatever it is." I can tell she's nervous because her words are coming out rushed and she's talking with her hands.

"Will you stop apologizing? You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm just not used to people seeing my point of view, so I didn't know what to say. Besides, you'll find out what the gala is all about soon enough."

She clearly has no idea what I mean. "What are you talking about?" she asks.

I can tell by the confusion on her face that she really doesn't know. I guess that makes sense. It's only her second day, and most people are ignoring her, so I doubt anyone took the time to tell her. "The gala is in Seattle this year, and Seattle Grace is one of the financial donors, so all of the doctors here are required to attend. So, that means you, too. Looks like you'll get a front row seat to all things Avery."

Her eyes widen, but her smile tells me she is excited about the idea of attending the gala. "Really? Are you sure they mean all the doctors and not just, like, the ones who have been here?"

"All the doctors. I'm sure. It's kind of _my_ thing, right? I can have a say in who is invited, and you definitely are. Besides, it will be nice to have someone there who isn't only being nice to me because of my last name." I lean over and bump her shoulder playfully with mine and she giggles., before turning to look at me and saying quietly, "Well, I have to admit, I am excited about the idea of getting to know more about all things Avery."

For the second time, she has left me speechless. In this dimly lit hallway, the brightness of her skin stands out, and as I explore her face, my gaze falls on her mouth and the way her pink lips look in contrast to her light skin. I don't expect to feel this way, but all I can think about is kissing her. I lean in just a bit, as I am not sure what she is thinking, and my eyes flicker from her mouth up to her eyes to check for hesitation. She leans in as well, and the only thing I can think is that I have never wanted to kiss anyone more that I want to kiss her right now.

The moment is ruined by my phone vibrating loudly in my pocket. We both sit up quickly at the realization of what was about to happen, and I clear my throat and pull my phone from my pocket. I sigh deeply and mutter, "Yeah, that's just what I needed right now."

"Is something wrong?" she asks.

"No. My mother is just reminding me about the dinner I have scheduled with her and Meredith tomorrow night." Once the words are out of my mouth I instantly regret them, and I wish I could take them back. I don't know how to explain this thing with Meredith, but I do know I don't want her thinking it is more than what it is, whatever that may be.

I see her face fall but she quickly hides it before scooting forward on the gurney and hopping down on to the floor. "Oh," she says, "Well, I should probably go check on our patients. I was waiting on some blood work for the guy in three anyway. Thanks for letting me hide out with you for a little while. I'll see you later." And with that, she turns and heads back down the hall. I watch her walk away, thinking that I may be the biggest idiot alive.

When I walk into my apartment after work, I instantly notice things are different. There are no dishes in the sink, Alex's clothes that were thrown over the back of the couch this morning are gone, and the trash has been taken out.

I call out, "Karev?" He must be here because the lights are on and there is music playing from somewhere, but he doesn't answer. I walk down the hallway, yelling his name again, and stop when I see him in the bathroom scrubbing the toilet. This is a sight I have never seen before, and I grab my phone from my pocket.

He looks over at me, clearly annoyed, "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm taking a picture of this. It may never happen again, and I want to have proof that Alex Karev does, in fact, know how to clean a toilet." I laugh and take a couple pictures before he throws a towel at me.

"Shut-up, Avery. This thing is disgusting, by the way." He says as he continues to scrub.

"Uh, yeah, I know. I'm the one who always ends up cleaning it. What are you doing anyway? Did you lose a bet or something? You did the dishes, took out the trash, and picked up you dirty laundry? Who are you?" I'm racking my brain to come up with an explanation for his sudden need to not live in a pig-sty, but I've got nothing.

"I invited Reed over tonight." He mumbles.

I did not see this coming. Alex doesn't usually invite girls to our place. He just finds an on-call room and then avoids them around the hospital for a couple months. "Really?" I ask. "So, what, she didn't like the on-call room?"

He stands up, satisfied with his work, and begins gathering the cleaning supplies. "I didn't take her to the on-call room. I mean, I thought about it, but I didn't. I don't know. She seems cool." He walks past me, carrying the supplies back to the laundry room, but I don't let him get away with just that little bit of information.

"I have known you for five years, and this is only the second time you've brought someone back here. So, you have a thing for her or something?" Alex had his heart broken by a girl a few years back and ever since then, he has only been interested in women long enough to get in their pants.

"Dude, shut-up." He calls over his shoulder. "Oh, and she's bringing Kepner!

I stop walking. "Wait, what?"

"Yeah, she asked if she could bring her and I didn't want to say no, so I'm gonna need you to distract her. I know, I owe you." He looks at me like he thinks I am going to say no, but I don't even consider it. April is on her way to my house. Right now. I start looking around, mentally accessing if Alex cleaned well enough.

He looks at me like I'm crazy, and asks, "What are you doing?"

"Well, if they are both coming, I want to make sure this place is actually clean." I grab a stack of Sports Illustrated magazines off the coffee table and stuff them in a drawer in the kitchen.

Alex is standing by the kitchen counter, smirking at me.

"What?" I ask him

"Nothing," he says, shaking his head. "It just seems like you aren't going to mind having to distract Kepner all that much."

Of course he is right, but I'm not telling him that. "Or I know that you haven't cleaned a house in years, so I want to make sure it's actually clean."

He starts to say something smart back to me, but there is a knock at the door, and he doesn't get the chance.

"Well, looks like it's too late for an inspection." He walks past me, patting me on the back just a little too hard, and goes to open the door.

"Hey! You found it. Guess my directions didn't suck." He says to Reed as she steps into the living room with April right behind her.

"No, they sucked," she tells him, "I'm just smart." They banter back and forth, but I don't hear the rest of what they say. I'm too distracted by April. I have never seen her out of her scrubs, and now I see what Sloan was talking about. She does have a great body. She's wearing skinny jeans that are tight enough to show off her curves and a form-fitting purple top. Her hair falls in loose curls down her back, and it's not until she walks over to me and says, "Hi Jackson," that I realize I must have been staring.

I blink a couple times and clear my throat, trying to appear relaxed, but now that she is standing right in front of me I can't help but look her up and down again. "Hey. You look nice."

Her cheeks flush and she runs her hands over her stomach and looks down at her outfit. "Oh. Thanks. I hope it's okay that I came. Sorry if it's weird. I don't really think Reed wanted to come alone."

"No, it's not weird at all. In fact, I'm glad you're here." I tell her.

She looks up at me a bit surprised by what I said, "You are?"

"Yeah, I mean, who wants to be alone with those two?" I nod my head toward Alex and Reed who are having a beer chugging contest in the kitchen. April puts her hand over her mouth and laughs adorably which catches their attention.

Alex finishes off his beer and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. "What? You guys want a beer?"

I don't even know if April drinks so I look at her and raise my eyebrows as if to ask, and she shrugs and says, "Sure."

I grab beers for both of us out of the fridge, twist the tops off, and hand one to her.

Reed is already well into her second drink when she places a hand on Alex's chest and leans in close to his face to seductively ask, "So, are you going to give me a tour?"

It's pretty clear she means more by that statement, and he looks surprised at first, but then quickly agrees. "Yeah, yeah, of course, I am," before they head down the hallway to his room.

I look over at April, and by the look on her face she is thinking the same thing I am. "Well, that didn't take long." I say.

Laughing, she agrees. "Right?"

I realize that April and I are alone for the first time. I shift my feet uncomfortably before gesturing to the couch. "Do you want to sit?"

"Sure." she says and she sits down pulling one of the throw pillows that came with the couch into her lap. I sit next to her, but not too close. I don't want her to think I expect anything from her or that I had the same plans as Alex. Her fingers find the zipper on the seam of the pillow and she fiddles with it. "So, how long have you lived with Alex?"

"We moved in here a couple months after we started intern year. I know it sounds stupid, but I was trying not to live off of my family's money. So, when Alex said he was looking for a roommate, I took him up on it. What about you? You and Reed live together, right?"

She stops playing with the zipper and turns to face me tucking one leg underneath her. "We do. I guess it sort of happened the same way for us. We both needed a roommate, and honestly I think she is one of the few people who doesn't find me annoying, so it just kind of worked out."

"I don't think you are annoying. Why would you say that?"

She looks at me like she thinks I am just trying to make her feel better. "Jackson, you don't have to act like everyone at Seattle Grace isn't already saying it. I hear them. I know what people think about me. And really, it's fine. I'm used to it." She shrugs as if it doesn't bother her, but I can see in her eyes that it really does.

"April, whoever is saying that obviously doesn't really know you." She rolls her eyes. "I mean it. You are not annoying. Just the opposite actually. Lately you are one of the few people I can stand to be around."

"Really? Why? What about your friends - Alex and Meredith and Cristina? You spend a lot of time with them, right?"

I sigh, "Yeah, but it's not the same. Sometimes I think they are only my friends because I'm an Avery. You barely even knew me, but you actually took the time to listen to what I was saying. You let me vent and didn't judge me. Every time I even try to talk to one of them, they tell me that I have "rich boy" problems and to suck it up. But you didn't do that. No one has ever just listened to me before, but you did. Thank you for that."

She smiles and says, "Jackson, you don't have to thank me for listening to you. Everyone deserves that, and I'm so sorry you haven't had that before. Just know that I will always listen, okay? If you ever need to talk about something, I'll listen. I mean, I know you probably have other people you would rather talk to, like your girlfriend, but I -"

"Woah," I cut her off, "What are you talking about? I don't have a girlfriend."

She narrows her eyes in confusion, "Um, Meredith Grey? She's your girlfriend, right?"

Ugh. This is exactly what I was trying to avoid. "No. Meredith Grey is not my girlfriend. Why did you think she was?"

I can tell she is thinking, and she hesitates, but then finally responds. "Um, I must have been confused. Sorry."

"Confused about what?" I ask her, "Did she say something to you?"

"Well…kind of." She looks almost nervous, as if she doesn't know if she should be saying any of this, but I can't let this go without hearing the whole story.

"What do you mean, kind of?"

She shifts on the couch, visibly uncomfortable with the conversation. "Jackson, it's really not a big deal. I don't want to create any problems with you and your friends. We can really just drop it. I must have been confused."

"April, you and I both know you weren't confused. When did she tell you this?

"Today in the cafeteria. After you left. I saw you leave and I could tell you were upset, so I stood up to come check on you. But before I left, she came up to me and told me to leave you alone because you were with her and that someone like you would never be interested in me anyway. I told her that I was just worried about you, and she told me that it wasn't my place to be worried about you. So, I decided not to look for you. But I found you anyway. In the tunnels. I swear I wasn't looking for you. I don't even know what made me go down there. I just thought it would be a good place to sit and think, and then, there you were. Doing the same thing." Her eyes are full of worry, as if she thinks I won't believe or would be mad at her, and I feel an overwhelming need to reassure her. I slip my hand under her hand that is resting on the pillow and squeeze it gently.

"First of all, do not listen to Meredith. Her and my mother have been trying to push a relationship between the two of us for years because of some insane idea that we should be together since we both come from surgical families. I am not now, nor have I ever been, interested in Meredith Grey. And second? The best thing that happened to me today was you finding me in those tunnels. I was happy you were there…and I'm happy you are here now." I look in her eyes, hoping she believes what I am saying.

She smiles shyly and bites her bottom lip, "You are?"

"Absolutely," I tell her. I lean in, needing to kiss her, but I pause just before our lips meet to silently ask if she wants the same thing. I find the answer I need in her eyes, and I lose all hesitation. I kiss her, and it feels as if I have been kissing her all my life. Like this is the person I am supposed to be kissing always. I move my hand to her neck to pull her in closer, and toss the pillow she is holding on to the floor with my other hand. She places her hands against my chest and then slides then up to my shoulders. She begins to run her nails lightly along the back of my neck, and the sensation drives me crazy. I move my hand behind her head and into her hair as I slowly lay her back on the couch. I try to hold myself up as much as possible to keep my body weight off of her, and then I realize that, somehow, I am positioned between her legs. I pull back to look down at her and ask, "Is this okay?"

For a moment, I think she might say no, but she nods silently and guides my mouth back to hers. I slide my hand under the bottom of her shirt and lightly trace the side of her waist with my fingertips. She shivers, and I laugh. "Ticklish?" I say in between kissing down her jawline to her neck. Her answer comes out iin a breathy whisper, "Yes." I decide that I want to find where her other sensitive areas are, but before I can, we hear screaming that makes us both stop what we are doing and stare at each other with wide eyes.

"Yes! Yes! Right there, Alex! Oh, God!"

I drop my forehead to her shoulder. "You've got to be kidding me," I say.

April laughs and rubs my back. "Yeah. Reed is…loud. Not my favorite part of being her roommate."

I am unable to block out the sounds coming from Alex's room, so I sit up and run my hand over my hair with a sigh. I look down at April and can't help but think she looks incredible laying on my couch, and I can't do anything about it. "I'm going to kill Karev."


	4. Chapter 4

**I didn't forget about this story! I just had to take a little break after that finale. Didn't we all? But I hate when I am into a story and then it is left unfinished, so I promise I won't do that to you guys. This chapter is mainly fluff because we have enough angst and sorrow on the actual show. The angst will be back, but I had to write a happy chapter for my own heart. This story has been completely from Jackson's POV until now, but I switch things up a bit here and give you a bit of April's perspective as well. It switches back to Jackson's POV, but there will be more of April's POV in upcoming chapters.**

 **April**

Jackson is annoyed by our interruption, but I'm a little grateful. I'm definitely not complaining about how our night was going, but I was getting nervous. I don't know exactly how far he planned to go, and I just kept thinking that he could probably tell that I don't have much experience.

I sit up and adjust my shirt, "Are you mad?"

"No!" He reassures me, "Well, not at you." He glances toward the hallway and laughs, "Maybe it's time for me to get my own place."

"It's not a terrible idea." I tell him, laughing a bit myself. "I have spent many nights watching movies with headphones in so I couldn't hear Reed and her boyfriends. Maybe I should do the same."

"So, did _your_ past boyfriends have to suffer through listening to Reed, too? Did you at least have an extra pair of headphones to give them?" he asks this jokingly, but I can't help but think he is asking to get information about me.

I am too embarrassed to admit that I haven't really dated anyone long term since residency started, so I give him a vague answer and hope that is sufficient. "That was never really a problem."

Unfortunately, he wants to know more. "What do you mean?"

I shrug and pick at the seam on the couch to avoid looking at him. "Well, Reed was usually the one who brought guys home. I haven't really dated much during residency. I've just been focusing on work, you know?"

He looks skeptical at my response, "Focusing on work? I find it hard to believe that those Mercy West guys weren't all trying to date you. I mean, come on, April, you're beautiful." I look up from the couch to see him staring intently at me. "And I've never met anyone like you. You actually care about other people and you are such a good person. Everyone has been kind of awful to you since you got to Seattle Grace and you haven't said one bad thing about any of them. I don't know how you do it."

He is looking at me as if he expects a response, but I take a minute to process all the things he just said to me. "I…um…you think I'm beautiful?" My voice is quiet and small as if I think if I say it too loud, I'll realize I imagined the whole thing.

He smiles and raises his eyebrows, "You caught that, did you?"

"I did, yeah. I caught that."

Jackson reaches up and tucks my hair behind my ear and then rests his hand on my cheek. "Well, I meant it, April. You are beautiful." And he kisses me again, soft and slow this time, with no hint of further expectations. He rests his forehead against mine, and whispers, "I don't want you to leave."

A nervous feeling bubbles up in my stomach. I laugh awkwardly, "Well, I don't really have much of a choice because Reed is my ride, and she seems…busy."

As if on cue, the loud noises coming from Alex's bedroom start up again. "Round two," he says.

He sits back, sighing in frustration and looks around the room. "Well, do you want to watch a movie? I don't have two pairs of headphones, but I can turn the sound up really loud."

"A movie sounds perfect." I tell him, and I mean it.

"Okay, you pick the movie, and I'll get the popcorn. The movies are on that shelf over there." He points to a bookcase across the room, and I make my way over to it and begin skimming the movie titles.

"See anything you like?" Jackson calls from the kitchen.

"Umm,,,honestly, I haven't seen most of these." I call back. The shelf is full of action and horror movies – the kind of movies I skip over when I am looking for something to escape into. "Maybe you should pick?" I suggest, hoping he will pick something that I might actually like.

Jackson comes back into the living room and sets a bowl of popcorn along with a couple of bottles of water on the couch. "Are you sure? I mean, I have some favorites, but I don't mind if you pick."

"No, really, go ahead." I tell him as I grab a blanket from a basket on the floor and sit down next to the popcorn bowl.

It only takes him a second to pick a movie from the shelf and pop it into the DVD player. "This is a good one." He says. He doesn't tell me which movie he picked, but from where I am seated I can see the couch, I can see enough blood on the cover to know it's a scary one. I am terrified of scary movies, but I don't want him to think I'm lame, so I don't say anything. He walks behind the couch and turns off the lights before sitting down on the other side of the popcorn. It's not cold, but I wrap myself up in the blanket in anticipation of the terror that is coming. Jackson picks up the popcorn and scoots next to me, propping his feet up on the ottoman. "You want some?" He gestures toward the bowl, and I grab a handful. "Thanks."

The movie starts, and I find out I was right. The opening scene is a crazed killer chasing their victim through the woods. I look over at Jackson and he seems completely into it. I make it maybe fifteen minutes before I pull the blanket up to my chin and try to figure out a way to look like I am watching without looking at the screen.

"Hey, are you cold?" Jackson's face looks so concerned that I feel bad for not just telling him the truth about the movie.

I smile sheepishly, "No…not really."

His concern turns to confusion. "Then why are you all bundled up under that blanket?" He picks up the remote and pauses the movie. "Wait. Are you scared? Do you not want to watch this?"

I lower the blanket from my chin and answer apologetically. "I might be a little scared. Scary movies aren't really my thing."

His eyes grow wide and he turns his body to face me. "April! Why didn't you say something? Were you just going to sit there and be terrified for an hour and a half?"

"I'm fine." I tell him. "Really. I just wanted to watch a movie with you. I didn't care which one. Besides, you're sitting right next to me. What do I have to be scared of?"

Jackson shakes his head, smiling, "Come here," he says, and holds his arm out so I can slide over and fit my body up against his. "I'm not going to torture you by making you watch a movie that scares you."

I smile up at him, appreciating how thoughtful he is. "Jackson, it's fine, really. I want to watch a movie with you. If I get scared, I'll just hide my face until you tell me it's safe to look. Okay?"

"What's the point of watching a movie if you aren't actually watching most of it?" He points out.

I reach up and touch his cheek, making sure he knows I mean what I am about to say, "Because I get to be here with you."

He leans down to kiss me on the forehead, grabs the remote, and presses play. "Okay, but tell me if you want me to turn it off. We have plenty of other movies we could watch."

The movie picks up right where it left off with a crazed killer lurking outside his unsuspecting victim's window, and it isn't long before I am burying my face in Jackson's chest. He runs his fingers through my hair and laughs a little. "You okay?" he asks quietly.

"Yup. I'm good. Just let me know when I can look again." I say into his chest.

When there is no chance of blood being splattered across the screen again, he lets me know, and I turn back to the TV. I try to follow the story as much as possible, but instead I find myself stifling a yawn. Jackson grabs a throw pillow, places it on his lap, and pats it with his hand. "Why don't you lay down? It's been a long day, and it's getting late. Maybe by the time this movie ends, Alex and Reed will come up for air and you guys can head home."

"It really has been a long day." I agree. Normally I might have hesitated, but at this point in the day, I am too tired to overanalyze the situation. I lay down, letting my head rest on the pillow on Jackson's lap and stretching out my legs. Jackson takes the blanket I was hiding behind and covers me up with it. The warmth of the blanket, along with the darkness of the room, make my eyes feel heavy. Jackson is running his fingers through my hair making movie is much harder to focus on. "I'm so comfortable I could stay here forever," I don't mean to say this out loud, but my foggy brain lets it slip out. Jackson's hand stops and rests on my head, "I hope you do," he whispers.

The sun shines brightly through my bedroom window, waking me up the next morning, which is odd because I always make sure to close the blinds and curtains before I go to sleep. I start to roll over to face the other way, but I am stopped by the realization that there is an arm around my waist and someone is pressed up against me from behind. Now fully awake, I open my eyes and lift my head a little to look around my room and figure out what is going on. I blink a few times in confusion because this isn't my room. This is Jackson's room, but I don't know how I got here. The last thing I remember was half-watching that scary movie on the couch and now I am waking up in his bed? I look down to check if I still have my clothes on. Thank God, I do. I would be mortified if I didn't. At least I know I didn't have sex for the first time and then block it from my memory.

Jackson's arm tightens around my waist, and he buries his face in my neck. "Good morning" he mumbles sleepily.

I have so many questions, but I don't want to sound like an idiot, so I say, "Good morning?" It comes out as more of a question than a statement.

He laughs, and I roll on to my back so I can look at him. He props himself up on his elbow and smiles down at me. "You sound unsure," he says, "Is it not a good morning?"

I bite my bottom lip, unsure of how to answer him. "It is," I begin, "It's just...um...how did we end up in your bed? I mean, did we...did I..."

I know my face must be bright red at this point, and he laughs a little at how flustered I am. "April. Breathe. You fell asleep during the movie, and I brought you in here. I figured you clearly weren't going anywhere last night since we never saw Reed or Alex emerge from his room again, and that couch is not the most comfortable thing to sleep on. You seemed exhausted so I didn't want to wake you. Hopefully it's okay that I slept in here, too?"

"Of course. It's your room. I would feel terrible if you had slept on the couch. Sorry I was lame and fell asleep during the movie. I guess I didn't realize how tired I was."

"Don't be sorry. I would have much rather spent my night next to you in bed than watching any movie." He kisses me softly, and I can't help but think how lucky I am to have found him.

Our moment is interrupted by loud banging on his bedroom door. "Avery! Kepner! Put your pants on! We have rounds in an hour!" Alex yells through the door.

Jackson groans, "I really do need to get my own place," and rolls out of bed. "Do you want to take a shower before we head to the hospital? You can use my bathroom if you want."

"A shower sound amazing." I tell him as I force myself to push the covers off of me and get out of his bed. I don't know if it was because I was sleeping next to him or how comfortable his bed is, but I do not want to get up. I have clean scrubs and all of my extra hygiene products stored in my locker at work, but I still feel the need to shower after sleeping in my clothes all night.

"Take your time. I can shower at work. I'll grab us something quick for breakfast to eat on the drive over." He gives me a quick kiss on the forehead and lingers briefly smiling down at me before leaving the room and giving me some privacy.

This is the first time I have been alone since yesterday afternoon when Reed told me she needed me to go with her to Alex and Jackson's place. When I agreed to come, I definitely didn't expect the night to turn out the way it had, but I am so glad it did. I spent the night with Jackson. That thought brings a ridiculously huge grin to my face and it is all I think about as I grab a towel from the cabinet and turn on the water.

 **Jackson**

"What are you so happy about, Avery?" Sloan eyes me suspiciously as we walk out of our patient's room.

"We just told a woman that we can fix the chemical burns on her arms with minimal scarring. Why wouldn't I be happy about that?" While I am happy for our patient, her prognosis has nothing to do with my mood. I can't stop thinking about my night with April and waking up to her next to me this morning.

"Bullshit, Avery. I know you are a proud member of the Plastics Posse, but as much as it saddens me, I've never seen you this happy about a surgery. You've been walking around here all morning like a teenage schoolgirl who just got asked to the dance. What gives?" He looks at me knowingly. "Did you get laid?"

"No, I did not get laid. Can't I just be happy without there having to be a reason?"

"No, you can't. There's a reason, and I'm going to figure it out." He slaps me on the arm and walks away, calling out, "Go practice your suturing, Avery!" over his shoulder.

I roll my eyes and head in the direction of the skills lab. Of course Sloan would think that my happiness is related to sex. They are the same thing to him. And if I'm being honest, I can't remember ever being this happy after a night of not having sex with a girl. But April is different. Obviously I want to, but it's not the only thing I am interested in.

I hope to find the skills lab empty so I can work on my suturing techniques without distraction, but when I push open the door I find the lab anything but empty. It seems like every resident has the same idea as me, or at least all the residents except the one I actually want to see. Alex, Charles, Reed, Meredith, and Cristina are spread out around the room working. When I enter, I grab a seat near the door.

"Nice of you to join us," Cristina doesn't even look up from the table but she is still able to throw sarcasm my way.

"Hey, cut him some slack, Avery didn't get much sleep last night." Alex's words are full of implication that make Cristina as well as Meredith stop what they are doing and look in my direction.

"Oh, stop, Alex. April's not like that." Reed tells him, and now all eyes are on me, as if they are waiting for me to offer details.

"April? April Kepner? What are they talking about Jackson?" The annoyance in Meredith's voice is obvious.

The last thing I want is to have a group conversation about my night with April, so I say, "Nothing," and focus on my technique hoping they take the hint.

They don't.

"Kepner? Really? Good for you, Avery. No one at Mercy West could get in her pants." Charles sounds like an easily impressed frat boy.

I sigh and set my tools on the table. "How about all of you stop worrying about who is or isn't getting into April's pants? It's none of your business any way."

"And is it your business?" Meredith stands up and walks over to my table crossing her arms and stopping in front of me.

"Hey, if it's happening in my house, then it's my business," Alex argues.

"I'm surprised you even noticed we were there since you and Reed were clearly preoccupied with other things." I shoot back at him.

"What?!" Charles says a little too loudly. "Really Reed? You're interested in this tool? What the hell? Why?"

"Jackson, I asked you a question!" Meredith demands.

"Wow, thanks Avery." Reed says, "Way to put my business out there. Well, since we're sharing, Avery, has nothing to brag about. He didn't get laid last night. April's not about to have her first time happen on some guy's couch that she just met. She's classier than that."

"Shut-up. Kepner's a virgin?" Cristina is way too happy to hear this information. "Oh, that is fantastic. This explains so much."

"Wait, what?" It takes me a second to register what Reed said, but Cristina interpreted it right. She said April is a virgin. How did I not see that last night? She seemed just as into what we were doing as I was, but what if I just thought she was? Crap. I had no idea. I feel like such an idiot.

"Dude, that sucks," Alex says to me.

"Dude, you suck," Charles says to him.

"Are you going to answer me? Does your mother know about this?" I hear Meredith's questions, but answering them is the last thing on my mind. I need to process what I just heard, and I can't do that in here. I push back from my table and head for the door, ignoring Meredith call out to me one last time, "Jackson?!"

I walk fast, with my eyes on the ground, wanting to find someplace to think. I am debating with myself about whether I should find April and talk to her about this or if that would only make things worse because I would have to tell her that Reed just announced her virginity to an entire room of people. I continue to argue with myself so intently that I don't notice someone is walking toward me until I run right into them.

"Oh, sorry! Sorry." I say, holding my hands up to steady the person I just knocked off course.

"No need to be sorry. You seem deep in thought. Care to share what has you so preoccupied?"

I sigh deeply. Of course. My mother always has impeccable timing.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Jackson**_

"Mom? When did you get here?" My mother makes waves wherever she goes, so the last thing I want is her poking around my life right now, but it looks like I don't have a choice.

"Didn't Meredith tell you? I asked her to let you know that I would be in town today, and that I have arranged for the three of us to have dinner together. It's not like her to forget something like that."

"She didn't forget. I did." I vaguely remember Meredith mentioning something about dinner with my mother in the cafeteria yesterday, but I was so uninterested that I forgot all about it.

"Well, that sounds more believable." she says with pursed lips. Of course, to her it is much easier to believe _I_ am a disappointment than Meredith Grey.

I start to ask her where we are having dinner, but I don't get the chance. From behind me I hear Meredith call out, "Jackson, come back here! We need to talk about this!" and I turn around to see her half running down the hall to me. However, her demeanor instantly changes when she sees who I am with. She slows to a walk, adjusts her scrub top, and runs her hands over her hair to make sure it lays perfectly.

She can barely contain her excitement when she says, "Catherine! I'm so glad you're here!"

They hug and Catherine gushes over her. "You know I wouldn't miss an opportunity to see the two of you when I am in town. Besides, we have a lot of plans to make. The Harper-Avery Gala will be here before we know it. But it sounds as if you two have something more important to discuss. Don't let me interrupt." She looks from Meredith to me with curiosity. It did not escape my mother that Meredith did not sound happy with me when as she ran down the hall.

"We don't have anything to discuss, mom. Text me the details for dinner, and I'll meet you there. I have something I need to do." I walk away without giving them time to ask questions that I don't really want to answer right now. There is only one person I need to talk to right now, and I think I know where to find her.

 _ **April**_

"You know, Dr. Kepner, you have a real talent for trauma." Dr. Hunt and I are scrubbing out of surgery when he tells me this.

"Thank you," I say to him, a bit surprised. It's nice to hear one of the attendings acknowledge my talent. Besides Jackson, I haven't felt very welcome yet at Seattle Grace, and I wasn't sure any of the attendings had even noticed me.

"You're welcome," he says walking behind me and opening the door. Before he leaves, he looks back to tell me, "I'm looking forward to working with you again."

I can't contain the huge grin that spreads across my face at hearing the compliment. This has been the best day - waking up next to Jackson, scrubbing in on a cool surgery, and Owen Hunt admiring my surgical skills. I finish drying my hands and push open the door, heading to the skills lab to catch up on some of my practice time. I can't imagine how this day could get any better.

When I walk in to the lab, Alex, Cristina, Charles, and Reed are already there. Once they see me their conversation immediately stops and all eyes turn to me. The room feels awkward and tense, but I have no idea why.

"Hi," I say, a bit confused with their reaction to seeing me, and take a seat at the table closest to the door.

"Hey, Virgin Mary," Cristina replies.

I feel my face immediately flush. How could she possible know? She doesn't, I tell myself. She's just being mean - being Cristina.

"Shut-up, Yang," Reed says, and the anger in her voice tells me that I'm wrong. Cristina does know.

"Wh-what?" I stammer, not knowing what to say. Not wanting to say anything.

"What wrong, Reed? Is Virgin Mary going to be mad at you?" Cristina turns to look at me, "You're not, right? I mean, now that we all know you're a virgin, we know nothing happened last night at Jackson's."

I'm overwhelmed with a mix of embarrassment and anger. I trusted Reed with my deepest secrets, things I don't tell many people, and for some reason, she told them all of it.

"What is she talking about?" I whisper.

Reed looks at me with regret in her eyes, but I don't feel anything but hurt by her.

"April, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say it. I was trying to help."

"Trying to help? Trying to help what?" My voice is louder now, more sure of my anger.

"I was defending you," she explains, "Alex was making it sound like you and Jackson - and Meredith was here getting pissed at Jackson - and I just, I just wanted them to stop saying things that weren't true because you don't deserve that. So, I told them nothing happened because you haven't -" she stops abruptly as if she doesn't want to say aloud that I am a virgin again. Like that could make the situation worse.

"Wait, Jackson was here, too? Everyone knows?" Oh, God. My anger turns to nausea, and I have to get out of here before I embarrass myself further by vomiting all over the table.

"That's right, Mary. Everyone knows," Cristina says with too much happiness in her voice.

I push my chair back from the table and run from the room.

"April, wait!" Reed calls out to me, but I don't stop.

I run down the hall, past the resident's lounge, and I don't stop until I reach the ER. Dr. Hunt is standing near the nurse's desk reading over a patient's chart when I come to a stop at his side, completely out of breath and fighting back tears.

"Excuse me, Dr. Hunt?" I try to steady my voice, but it comes out breathless and shaky.

"April? Is everything okay?" I barely know him, but the genuine concern in his voice causes my tears to overflow.

"Come here. Come with me." He takes me by the arm and gently guides me into a nearby trauma room. He shuts the door and I wipe the tears from my cheeks.

"I'm sorry," I say, "I didn't mean to cry in front of you. You probably think I'm crazy now."

His smile is kind when he says, "Not at all. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Um...not really. I just, um, is it possible for me to take the rest of the day off? I'll make it up. I can work an extra shift in the ER whenever you want. I just can't be here right now. And I know this looks terrible since I am new here–" once I start explaining, I can't stop until he cuts me off.

"April. April. It's fine. I can see how upset you are, and if you don't want to talk about it you don't have to. But I am here if you change your mind. Okay?" I nod but don't speak because I finally got the tears to stop, and I am afraid if I try to say something I will lose it all over again. "Go home. Do whatever you need to do to feel better, and I will see you tomorrow. I'll request you on my service again. I want to see more of your trauma skills anyway." He squeezes my arm as if to reassure me, and I squeak out a weak, "Thank you, Dr. Hunt," before turning and walking as fast as I can to grab my things from my locker and leave before I run into anyone else I don't want to see.

 _ **Jackson**_

If I remember correctly from our morning meeting, April is on Hunt's service today. I head to the ER, hoping to find her there. I want to talk to her before anyone else gets a chance to. The gossip of Alex telling everyone she spent the night at my place along with Reed blabbing about her virginity won't take long to circulate through the hospital, and I want her to hear it from me before anyone else.

I make it to the ER, but I don't see April anywhere. Dr. Hunt is standing by the nurses' desk, though, so I decide to ask him if he has seen her. "Excuse me, Dr. Hunt?"

He looks up from the chart he is holding and narrows his eyes at me, "Yes?"

I realize now that I rushed here so quickly that I am winded, and he must wonder what I could possibly want.

"I'm looking for Dr. Kepner, and I know she is on your service today. Have you seen her?"

"I have…" he says, but offers no other information.

"Great. I really need to talk to her. Could you tell me where she is?"

"No," he looks almost angry when he says this, but I don't really care what he is mad about right now. I just want to talk to April.

"No? Why?" I ask.

"The last time I saw April she was pretty upset, and judging by the way you just ran in here, looking a bit panicky, and asking where she is, I am going to guess you have something to do with that. So no, I'm not going to tell you where she is. In fact, I'm going to advise you to leave her alone. You see, I don't know her very well yet, but she is a damn good doctor, and I want to keep her around, so whatever is going on that is upsetting her? Put an end to it." He turns back to his chart as if to dismiss me.

"That's what I'm trying to do, but I can't do that if I can't find her. You really aren't going to tell me?" Hunt doesn't even look up to acknowledge my question. "Fine! Fine. I'll find her myself."

There are only so many places April could be. She's not in the ER, she's not in surgery, and she wasn't in the skill lab when I left there. I stop by the resident's lounge to see if she is hiding out in there, but the lounge is empty when I get there. And not only is the lounge empty, but her cubby is too. She left. Damn it. I pull out my phone to call her before I realize I don't even have her number. Nice Avery. The girl spent the night in your bed, and you don't even have her phone number. I grab the resident roster off the wall, and flip through the alphabetical listing until I find her name. I begin to punch her number into my keypad, but change my mind halfway through and save it to my contacts instead. Hopefully this is a number I will be using a lot in the future, so I might as well save it. Once that is done, I push the call button next to her name and pace back and forth as it begins to ring.

"C'mon, April. Answer the phone." I plead as if she could hear me.

After five rings, the call goes to voicemail, and I can't find the right words to convince her to call me back so I leave an awkward message that probably just confuses her more.

"April, it's me. I mean, Jackson – it's Jackson. I really need to talk to you. I talked to Hunt, and he said he talked to you, but he wouldn't tell me how to talk to you. Well, not how, I know how, but I was in the ER because I was in the skills lab earlier, and I -" the phone beeps cutting off my message.

"Damn it!" I yell. I grab the roster again and type her address into the notes section of my phone. She probably doesn't want me just showing up at her house, but I can't stand the idea of her being alone and upset right now.

My phone vibrates in my hand, and for a second I think the message may be from April, but of course it isn't.

 _Mom –Since you are in such a dreadful mood, I decided maybe eating at your favorite restaurant might help. Del Amici's 5:00 pm. Don't be late. Meredith will meet us there._

The time on my phone reads 3:57 pm. That is nowhere near enough time to get to April's, explain everything to her, and get to the restaurant on time. How did a day that started out so great turn out so crappy?

 _ **April**_

By the time I get home, I'm no longer crying. I have moved from embarrassed to pissed. Well, for the most part. Of course, I'm still mortified that our entire resident class knows I am still a virgin, but I am more focused on the pissed part. I'm pissed at Alex for telling everyone I stayed the night with Jackson because now they all think I was trying to throw myself at him, and I am pissed at Reed for sharing my private information.

I toss my purse on the couch, ignoring the vibrations coming from inside. Reed and Charles have been calling my phone non-stop since I ran out of the skills lab, but I have nothing to say to them right now. Nothing nice at least. I head to my room to change out of my scrubs and I hear the front door open and shut. Ugh. I was hoping Reed would take the hint and stay late at the hospital, but no such luck. It isn't long before there is a light knock on my bedroom door.

"April?" Reed calls through door cautiously.

I sigh and don't respond, hoping that she will leave.

She knocks again, louder this time. "April, I know you're in there! Come on, we need to talk!"

She clearly isn't going away, so I jerk open the door. "Do we? Do we need to talk, Reed? Cause it seems like one of us has already done an awful lot of talking for one day."

She reaction takes her by surprise, "Okay…so you're pissed."

"Oh, you think? Not only did you betray my confidence, but you just told all of our co-workers, including the guy I am interested in, that I am a 28-year-old virgin. I can't _imagine_ what reason I would have to be pissed at you." I cross my arms and glare at her, daring her to try to defend herself.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I get why you're pissed. But just hear me out okay?"

Against my better judgement I move to the side to let her in my room.

"I'm sorry," she starts, and those are just the words I needed to hear to start my tears falling again.

"Oh, April. Please don't cry," she says and pulls me into a hug. As mad as I am at her, I let her hug me while I cry because, no matter what, she is still my best friend. "I feel like the biggest jerk in the world."

I half-cry and half-laugh when I say, "You are."

She pulls back and looks at me with a fake hurt expression, "I guess I deserve that."

"Why did you do it?" I ask her. "God Reed, I trusted you."

"I know this sounds stupid now, but I was trying to help. Alex opened his big mouth to everyone about how you and I stayed the night with him and Jackson, and of course Meredith and Cristina got all weirdly territorial about Jackson, like he cheated on her or something. I mean, they aren't together right?" She pauses long enough to hear my answer.

"No. Or at least that's what Jackson says. Meredith sure seems to feel differently. It's something with his mom wanting them together. All I know is he told me he isn't interested in her and that I shouldn't worry about her." I explain.

"Well, that's what I thought. But I knew that if they thought Jackson had sex with you they would do their best to make your life miserable, so…it just came out. I was trying to make sure they believed me when I said you didn't sleep with him, and I just…overshared." She looks apologetic, but my anger hasn't subsided enough for me to feel sorry for her. "I know. I should have just kept my mouth shut. What you do or don't do with a guy is no one's business anyway."

"You're right. It is no one's business, so in the future let them think what they want. I can handle those two." And I mean that. I am done being the nice, polite new girl.

"Okay. I promise. Wait…April, am I wrong? Did you and Jackson…" she raises her eyebrows waiting for my answer.

"No! Of course not! I would have told you. Well, before today I would have. Now I'm a little worried you will "accidentally" tell everyone that too. I mean, when it happens."

"I get that. I hate that you feel like you can't trust me, but I get it. I'm going to prove you wrong though. I'm going to show you that you can trust me again. I don't want to lose our friendship," she smiles at me and my anger subsides a little and I smile back.

"Me neither," I tell her.

"Okay, I'm going to start making it up to you now. Grab your purse. We're going to dinner," she calls over her shoulder while walking out of my room.

"We are?" I call back.

"Yup, I'll drive. Let's go," she throws her purse on to her shoulder and digs out her keys while I grab mine and follow her into the hallway, waiting as she locks the door behind us.

Reed must be feeling especially awful because we don't even waste time debating where to eat. She drives straight to my favorite place without even asking. I smile to myself at the gesture. It's going to be hard to stay mad at her for long.

We step into the lobby and wait at the hostess station to be seated. They are surprisingly busy tonight. Almost every table in the restaurant is full. Turning to Reed, I say, "I don't know if we're going to get a table. It looks pretty busy."

"Of course we will, April," she reassures me, "Besides, this is your favorite restaurant. We'll wait if we have to. I don't mind."

"You sure?" I ask.

"Definitely," Reed begins scanning the restaurant looking for the host or hostess who has abandoned their post.

"I'm sure they'll be back soon. It is really busy tonight." I tell her unnecessarily. As I'm saying this, the smile fades from her face and is replaced by a look of panic.

"You know what?" she turns to me, "On second thought, let's go somewhere else. I really don't want to wait."

"What? No way! This is my favorite place, remember? What happened to "we'll wait if we have to?" What suddenly changed your mind?" Reed can be flaky, but this is unusually weird, even for her.

"Nothing! Nothing, really. Let's just go someplace else." She grabs my hand and tries to pull me toward the door, but it's too late. I have already seen them sitting at a table in a dimly lit corner across the room. Jackson, his mother, and Meredith are here, eating dinner together, in my favorite restaurant, like one happy family.

Reed follows my gaze across the restaurant, and she knows I have seen them. "April…" she whispers. "I'm sure it's not what it looks like."

"Not what it looks like?" I reply. "It looks like he lied to me."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 is still pretty much in Angstville, but it will get better eventually. Just hang in there! I should mention that this chapter has some language, so hopefully that doesn't offend anyone. Sorry in advance it if does. I also want to mention that in canon Grey's, I am all for Meredith and Derek being soulmates, but this is an AU, and Derek doesn't exist here. Sorry for anyone struggling with that.**

 **Jackson**

The waiter clinks the bottle of wine against my mother's glass as he refills it and then offers the bottle to me. I shake my head and decline with a wave of my hand. My mother and Meredith are both on their second glass, but I don't feel like drinking. I just want to get this dinner over with, so I can check on April and fix this mess.

My mother clears her throat, and I know that means she is about to say something she thinks everyone should listen to. I assume she will start in on lectures and requirements about the upcoming gala, and I prepare myself to hide my boredom. That's not what she wants to talk about, though, but once she starts talking, I wish it was.

"So, Jackson, Meredith tells me you have a new "friend," she says the word friend as if the idea is slightly disgusting.

"And?" I am not interested in discussing my relationship with April with my mother. I already know what she will say, and I am not in the mood to hear it.

"I get it. You're an attractive young man. Of course women are going to be interested in you. But you have to remember that you are an Avery. Your reputation matters, and you cannot associate yourself with just anyone. Now, what you do behind closed doors is your own business, but when you are representing the Harper Avery Association you will uphold a certain standard. I don't know this April girl, but I do know that she is not the image we are trying to portray. So, do not begin to think that she will be accompanying you to the gala. Meredith will be on your arm that night." my mother looks at me as if the conversation is finished and takes a sip of her wine.

But the conversation isn't finished. "So basically, you don't care who I fuck as long as everyone thinks it's Meredith?"

"Jackson Avery, that is disgusting."

"No, mother. This is disgusting. This dinner. This arrangement. You thinking you can continue to control my life." I turn to look at Meredith, "Look, Meredith, I'm sorry if I led you on in some way, or if my mother has made you promises, but I only see you as a friend. I am not interested in some weird arrangement that is being forced on us, and I hope you aren't either. We can be friends or co-workers or whatever, but we aren't going to be more than that." I wait for Meredith to respond, but she doesn't. She simply folds her arms across her chest, and lets my mother continue to do all the talking.

My mother laughs arrogantly, "Oh Jackson. Sometimes you are so much like your father. He didn't know how to be an Avery either. You don't get to make decisions based on your "feelings" or "wants." That's not how life works for us. You will make the decision that is best for our family name and the company image. End of discussion. And if I have to help you make that decision, I will."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I ask.

She clears her throat and explains, "Like I said, whoever you bring home is your business, but there will be no relationships outside of the ones that are approved. If you cannot handle that, then I will just remove anyone who is distracting you from your life. There are several hospitals in Seattle. This April girl does not have to stay at Seattle Grace. I'm sure I could find a suitable position for her elsewhere."

"Are you kidding me? Are you seriously threatening to have April fired if I date her? What the hell is wrong with you?" I am so pissed I am almost shouting, and a few people at tables close by turn to look, but I don't care.

"My dear, I am not threatening anything. I am informing you of what will happen. Our family is one of the major financial contributors to Seattle Grace. I can make one phone call and have her gone tomorrow."

"Don't you dare."

"It's your choice, Jackson."

I have never been this angry in my life. My mother has done some cold and calculated things before, but this may be the worst. The last thing I want is to give in to her, but I can't think of a way out of this that doesn't result in April getting hurt, either.

She takes my silence for agreement. "Good. That's settled then. Almost all preparations for the gala are complete. All you have to do is show up. Surely you can manage that. Dinner is at 6:00. Meredith will be ready and waiting at 5:00. Don't be late."

I look to Meredith one more time to see her reaction. Surely she wants more than this, more than to be seen as a prize or trophy of some sort, but the knowing smirk she gives me tells me I am wrong. This is exactly what she wants.

"I'll be there," I tell them and throw my napkin down on the table. My chair squeaks against the floor as I push it back to stand. I have to get out of her, but before walking away, I lean down and just loud enough for them both to hear me I say, "Leave April the hell alone."

 **April**

When I arrive at work the next morning, I am happy to see I am back on Dr. Hunt's service. He really did request to work with me again. I was worried he would think I was too much of a mess to deal with, but it turns out at least one guy around here actually means what he says. The pit is already full of patients when I get there, which is exactly as I hoped it would be. That means there is more chance of getting a surgical case and less chance of running into Jackson.

After seeing him with Meredith in the restaurant last night I decided I am better off not getting in the middle of that. Whether he wants to admit it or not, there is clearly something going on there, and I refuse to look like a fool for believing his lies when he says there isn't.

"Good morning, Dr. Hunt. I just want to say thank you for requesting me on your service again. I know that what happened yesterday was completely unprofessional, and I promise it won't happen again. It's just - " He cuts me off mid-ramble.

"Dr. Kepner, I'm glad your back. I need you to check out beds three, five, and nine. Bed three seems the most urgent." He is already walking away before he finishes what he is saying, so I just say, "Of course!" and get to work.

Hunt was right about three being more urgent. It's a five year old boy with intense abdominal pain. After a lot of questions, I finally get out of him that he swallowed a bunch of little green army men because his friend told him to. I send him up to radiology for x-rays to see where the army men have lodged themselves and help my other patients as quickly as possible. There is a good chance he isn't going to pass those army men on his own, and he will require surgery. I don't want to be tied up on another case and miss the chance to scrub in.

The patients in five and nine are an easy forehead laceration and a bad case of the flu that I tend to fairly quickly before discharging them. I still don't have the x-rays back on my little boy, and his pain seems to be intensifying so I head to radiology to check on them myself.

Radiology is two floors up, and I spend most of the elevator ride contemplating what I would do if my kid ate a bunch of army men. Working in hospitals has really taught me that kids do the craziest things, and when I finally have my own I better be prepared for anything. Not that I'm having kids anytime soon. I'd have to have sex to have kids, and I would need a boyfriend to have sex. And since neither of those things seem to be happening, I guess I don't have to worry about my hypothetical children swallowing their toys.

The elevator slows to a stop and the doors to the radiology floor open to Jackson standing in front of me.

"Hi," he says, looking surprised to see me standing there.

Work has distracted me from my anger toward him for most of the morning, but seeing him brings all of those feelings flooding back. I step out of the elevator and walk past him without a response.

"Hey! April!" he calls out, and against my better judgement, I turn and look at him.

"What do you need?" I ask, knowing I sound annoyed and not caring, "I have a patient."

The hurt look in his eyes doesn't escape me, and I momentarily feel bad for being so short with him. Then the image of him and Meredith at dinner last night returns to my mind and that feeling leaves as quickly as it came.

"What do I need?" he asks, "I was hoping to talk to you...about yesterday."

"Which part?" I ask, "The part where Alex told everyone I spent the night at your place, the part where Reed told everyone I'm still a virgin, or the part where I saw you and Meredith at dinner together less than twenty-four hours after you told me she meant nothing to you? Which of those things would you like to discuss?"

For the second time since the elevator doors opened, he looks surprised. "You - you were at the restaurant last night? I didn't see you. Why didn't you say something?"

"I wasn't there very long. Let's just say I lost my appetite." I know I am being difficult, but I don't care.

"Listen, April. Let me explain. Will you meet me for lunch so we can talk?" he sounds so sincere when he asks this, but I am too afraid of being lied to again.

"Just tell me this, Jackson. Is something going on with you and Meredith? Were you ever really interested in me? Or were you just trying to sleep with me and then when you found out I'm still a virgin you realized it wasn't going to happen and decided to pick up where you left off with Meredith? Because I really liked you, Jackson. I thought that we had a connection - one that I haven't had with anyone else, but now it looks like all of that was in my head. So, tell me I'm wrong if I am. Tell me there is nothing going on with you and Meredith." I try to sound confident and sure of myself, but the last sentence comes out almost pleading. I so badly want him to tell me I am wrong.

Jackson looks down at the floor and rubs his hand over his forehead before looking back at me with sadness in his eyes. "It's complicated, April."

I scoff at his answer. "No, it's not."

"I have a patient," I tell him, turning and walking away so he doesn't see the tears overflow from my eyes.

 **Jackson**

Two weeks have passed since April left me standing in the hallway unsure if I should run after her or let her go. If I had gone after her, what would I have said that didn't make me sound like a fucking twelve year old? My mother says I can't be with you? She would hate me more than she already does if I tried to tell her that, even if it is the truth.

I've spent the last two weeks missing her but trying my best not to let on. A few times she has caught me looking at her across the cafeteria or during rounds, but each time she just meets my gaze and then quickly looks away.

She seems to be adjusting well to Seattle Grace. The attendings are all recognizing her skills and trying to entice her into choosing their specialty, but she seems set on trauma. More often than not, I see flashes of her fiery ponytail racing through the ER tending to multiple traumas at once. Hunt keeps raving about how much better the ER runs since she arrived. She taught him some kind of new organizational system that has things working more efficiently and when she is on another attending's service for the day, he grumpily complains that the place doesn't run the same without her.

I want to talk to her, to see how she is really doing, but I don't. I can't jeopardize her career, especially not when it is going so well. I consider asking Reed about her, but ever since Alex opened his big mouth about her and April staying at our place, she hasn't spoken to either of us.

The gala is two days away. My mother has become an almost constant presence in Seattle the last few days as decorations and guests have begun to arrive. I'm going through the motions as my mother insists, but the only thing I am looking forward to is this whole thing being over.

I spend most of my time on Sloan's service. Of course, this gives my mother and Meredith even more reasons to tell me how I am not living up to the Avery name as Plastics is "beneath me," but, at least in this area of my life, I refuse to listen to them. Honestly, my interest in Plastics has surprised me just as much as everyone else, but I can't deny that it is what I am passionate about. And pissing off my mother is an added bonus.

Today, Sloan and I are working on skin grafts for a patient when we get a page that Plastics is needed in the ER.

"Why don't you take it?" he says.

"Me?" I'm surprised that he would send me without knowing what the page is for specifically. Sloan is incredibly proud of his skills, and he certainly wouldn't want me messing up his reputation.

"Yeah, you. It's probably just a head lac or something. You can handle that. Besides, I'm not going to be standing over your shoulder forever. Just page me if it's something bigger than that."

I don't give him a chance to change his mind. I pull my gloves off and head for the door. "Thanks, Dr. Sloan," I tell him.

"Don't screw it up, Avery," he replies.

When I reach the ER, I stop at the nurses' desk to find out where I am needed, and they direct me to bed two. When I look in that direction, what I see makes my stomach drop a bit. April is standing next to bed two having what seems to be an intense conversation with a police officer. As much as April and I have both been avoiding each other, it doesn't seem like that is going to be possible today. I walk over to her and the officer, and the two of them stop mid-conversation when I arrive.

"Uh, you paged Plastics?" I ask.

"I did. I thought Sloan would - never mind. Dr. Avery, this is Officer Rollins. Officer Rollins, this is Dr. Avery." April looks flustered at first but quickly regains her composure.

I shake the officer's hand, although I'm not quite sure what he is doing here. "Are you going to be working with the inmate as well?" he asks me.

"I'm sorry? The inmate?" I look from the officer to April waiting for one of them to offer more information, but neither of them have time to answer me before our patient begins screaming at the nurse trying to take his vitals.

"I said, don't touch me, bitch!" our patient rips the blood pressure cuff off of his arm and throws it across the ER. That's when I notice all of the cuts down his arms and one particularly nasty one across his face. Officer Rollins walks over to the bed yelling, "Hey! You either let them help you or I can take you back to lock-up and let you deal with the nasty infection you're probably gonna get on your own."

I turn back to April, still completely confused, "What is going on?"

She sighs and begins to explain, "So, apparently this guy is an inmate at County and got in a fight with one of the other inmates. The other guy had made a knife out of a rusty piece of metal he found in the courtyard and now this guy is here being a jerk instead of letting us help him not die from tetanus."

"Sound like a fun day." I say, which makes her smile. I haven't made her smile in weeks, and while I should be focused on our bleeding patient, all I can think about is how much I have missed seeing her happy.

"He's getting some antibiotics through his IV, but I wanted someone from Plastics to look at his cuts to make sure none of them were too deep before I started stitching them all up. But if you're busy, I can do it myself. It will probably take a while, and I know -" I cut her off before she can come up with reasons to not work with me today.

"Of course I'll help you," I tell her.

She smiles again, and I resist the urge to reach out and touch her face. I haven't been able to stop thinking about her these past two weeks, and now that I am standing this close to her, I want to tell her everything and make her understand, but this isn't the time. Instead, I follow her over to our patient and listen as she tells him what we are going to do.

"I'm Dr. Kepner and this is Dr. Avery. We have some antibiotics already started through your IV so that we can make sure to avoid infection from whatever object was used to make these cuts. We just need to make sure none of them are too deep, and then we will get you stitched up and out of here in no time, sound good?" April is the only doctor here who would talk to an inmate who just cursed out a nurse like he was a friend. She really does have a heart of gold.

"You're not fucking touching me," he tells her, and I make a mental note to not numb him completely when I stitch him up for being such an ass to her.

Officer Rollins steps closer to the bed and says, "Do we need to go over this again? Either let them treat you or you can take your chances on your own in your cell. What'll it be?"

"This is bullshit," the guy responds and then looks back at April, "This better not fucking hurt."

"We'll do our best to numb you, but with the amount of injuries you have, there will be some discomfort." she says, in a much nicer way than I would have.

"Let's just get this over with," he replies.

The nurses have already prepped the supplies we need to suture him, so I grab one tray and walk to the opposite side of his bed as April so that we can work as quickly as possible. This is one patient I won't be sad to see leave.

I start by examining the cut across his cheek. It is fairly superficial and actually won't require as many stitches as I originally thought. "I'm going to start by suturing this cut on your face. I will do my best to minimize scarring, but given the size and location, there will probably be some."

He grunts in response but says nothing.

"And while he is doing that, I am going to work on the cuts on this arm," April tells him gesturing to the area, "But first I am going to numb the area."

She picks up a syringe filled with Lidocaine and tells him, "This might sting a little." She injects the syringe into the area around one of his cuts and he screams out in pain.

"That fucking hurts!" he yells and grabs the nearest instrument he can reach off my tray and swings his arm at April making contact with her right side. April cries out in pain, and I can see her scrub top is torn where he cut her and blood begins to soak through.

"You son of a bitch," I say through clenched teeth as I drop the instruments I am holding and, without hesitation, punch him in the face.

"Avery, stop!" Dr. Hunt yells, stepping in front of me and holding up his hands to stop me from continuing.

Officer Rollins wrestles the scissors from the patient and handcuffs him to the metal bed railing.

"Get him out of here!" I tell him.

"Avery!" Hunt says again. "I'll handle this, okay? You need to go cool off."

Hunt may be right, but I am not concerned with myself right now. I look over at April to ask if she is alright, but I can tell by the pained expression on her face that she isn't. I walk around the bed to where she is standing, place my arm across her shoulders, and lead her into the nearest exam room so I can focus on helping her. I close the door behind us to give us some privacy. The instant it shuts, April falls against my chest, and I envelope her in my arms thinking that all I want in this moment is to make her feel safe.


	7. Chapter 7

**The story continues! And I hope you guys aren't too frustrated with the end of this chapter. It will happen, eventually. I promise!**

 **April**

"Sorry. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that," I say, pushing away from Jackson. Seeing him so protective of me brought all of the emotions I had been trying to suppress back to the surface, but I can't let myself go down that path again.

"What are you talking about? You're hurt. You can lean on me," he says in a way that makes my stomach flutter.

I don't respond though. I can't. I don't want to get pulled back in. Instead I begin opening drawers looking for antibiotics, a suture kid, alcohol pads, gauze, and anything I might need to stop this blood from running down my side.

Jackson comes to stand next to me and takes the supplies I have gathered from my hands. "Here," he says, "I'll do this. Go lie down."

I open my mouth to protest but stop when I realize he right. Either the blood loss or the craziness of the situation is making the room spin a bit, and I really shouldn't be standing. I wince as I lift myself up on the bed and lie down, resigning myself to the fact that I have to let him help me.

Jackson sets the supplies in his arms on the tray next to the bed, and looks at me as if to say something, but hesitates. Finally, he speaks, "Um…you'll need to take your shirt off so I can see the wound."

"Oh. Right." The pain in my side makes sitting up a struggle and Jackson places one hand on my back and takes my hand in his other to help. "Thanks." I whisper.

My scrub top is almost completely soaked with blood on the side where the inmate cut me and it sticks to me as I peel it away from my skin. Trying to pull my arm through the sleeve without pain shooting through my side proves more difficult than I thought it would be.

"Let me help," Jackson says, stepping toward me. I want to tell him no, that I don't need his help, but it is clear to both of us that I do. I raise my arms above my head, and he takes the hemline of my shirt in his hands and pulls it up and off. Our eyes meet for a moment, both of us aware of all the things we are not saying, before we turn our attention to the wound on my side. It looks as bad as it feels.

Jackson sucks in air through his teeth, "Damn. Okay, um, why don't you lie on your side? It doesn't look too deep, but I want to make sure before I stitch you up."

I do my best to situate myself without using aggravating my side even more. "The bleeding has stopped. That's a good thing," Jackson says, pulling on his gloves.

"Yeah," I agree, "You know, you don't have to do this. I can get someone else. I'm sure Owen or Reed would help me. I can just page one of them."

"Are you trying to get rid of me? I should remind you that you are lucky enough to have one of Seattle Grace's best plastic surgeons stitching you up right now. You aren't going to find anyone better than me. Just ask Mark. He keeps telling anyone who'll listen what great hands I have." He smiles at me briefly and goes back to concentrating on his work.

"Sloan does like to brag about you. I have heard about how amazing your hands are." I tell him.

"Well, I'll try not to let you down."

"Oh, I'm not worried about that. I know you won't."

His playful expression fades. "Do you?" he asks, "'Cause I know I let you down before."

For a few minutes, I had forgotten about all of that. "Well, I trust your work. I know you're a good doctor."

"But you don't trust me outside of work?" He stops what he is doing and looks over at me, waiting for my answer.

As much as I want to say yes, I can't. "How can I, Jackson? You lied to me."

He sighs deeply, "Lied to you? April, I didn't lie to you. Everything I have told you has been true. I just, haven't told you all of it."

I study his face for a moment, deciding if I should believe him. I want to so badly. I want him to be who I thought he was the first day we met. But I also don't want to get hurt again. "So, tell me. It's just me and you here, and I want to know everything. I want to trust you Jackson, but you have to let me in."

He is quiet, and I don't push him.

His gloves are bloody from cleaning my wound, and he changes them out for clean ones before grabbing the syringe to numb my side. "This might sting a little," he says, glancing at me briefly.

"I know," I quietly respond and brace myself for the multiple sticks. It seems ridiculous for a trauma surgeon to hate needles, but I do. Doctors really do make the worst patients.

I jump a little when the needle pokes my skin the first time, and then I feel the cool liquid spreading under my skin and beginning to work.

"Sorry. I'm trying to be gentle," he tells me. He numbs me in multiple spots, but I do my best to stay still. Then he grabs the suture kit, and I watch as he delicately threads the needle, and I wonder if he is thinking about what I said.

"Tell me if you feel this. I don't want to hurt you." he says, waiting for my acknowledgement before beginning.

I nod, "I said I trust you, Jackson. Go ahead."

I feel pressure but no pain as he makes the first stitch, but he pauses to check anyway. "Keep going?" he asks.

"Keep going," I tell him, "It doesn't hurt. Sloan is right. You do have great hands."

He half-smiles and continues, slowly and meticulously.

"You're going to be an amazing plastic surgeon," I tell him.

He laughs quietly, "Maybe you just hope so, since I'm the guy stitching you up right now."

"No, I don't hope, I know. If you are this caring with all your patients then they are lucky to have you,"

He is quiet for a moment, and I think maybe I embarrassed him, but then he shakes his head and says, "I promise I didn't lie to you."

There is a sadness in his voice, and I simply say, "Okay."

"The night you stayed with me...April, that was the best night I have had in - forever. I can't remember the last time I felt so relaxed and happy. There was no pressure to be an Avery or impress anyone. You didn't care about any of that...and somehow I managed to screw that up, too."

I have so many questions I want to ask him, about that night, about us, but I am afraid if I start talking, he will stop. So, instead, I just wait, hoping he will continue.

"I meant it when I said Meredith means nothing to me. That dinner you saw? With my mother? That was not a date or anything close to that. That was my mother trying to control my life again. And I know how pathetic that sounds. I know that I should just grow a pair and tell my mother to get out of my life. But as much of a pain in the ass as she is, she is all I have. My only family. So, I always just give in because, well, she is my mother."

"I get that. Kind of," I try to offer some support, although I couldn't imagine having a mother like that.

He sighs before continuing, "But I think she finally went too far. We went to dinner to discuss the gala, which we did, sort of. And I did what I said I was going to do. I told Meredith that I am not interested in her as anything more than a friend, but they weren't interested in hearing anything I had to say. They are both so wrapped up in this insane idea that because I am an Avery I should be with someone else from a strong medical family. And then you got brought into it, and I was done. I told them I would go through with this charade for the gala, but what I didn't tell them is when the gala is over, I'm not playing along anymore."

I don't mean to interrupt him, but I need to know more, "Wait, I'm sorry. I was brought up at your dinner. Why?"

"Apparently Meredith told my mother that you spent the night with me, and she couldn't wait to shut that down," his eyes narrow and I can see that he is angry, but I am still not quite following.

"Shut what down?"

"My mother said if I try to be in a relationship with you that she will have you fired or transferred."

"I'm sorry. What?!" in shock, I try to sit up and he places a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

"Hey, hey, hey. Don't do that. I have a needle in my hand and you have a nasty cut on your side. No sudden movements."

"Is that why you've been avoiding me for two weeks?" I ask, but I already know the answer.

"Well, that and I thought you were pissed at me. I tried to talk to you that day by the elevator, but you were so upset. I know Alex was a jerk for telling everyone you stayed over, and then Reed told everyone that you're, um, still a virgin, and then all of this crap happened. I wanted to tell you. Every day I would see you and think about trying to explain, but it all sounded so stupid in my head. And I know it doesn't make up for any of it, but God April, I miss you. Being around you is so easy, and I miss that. I miss you."

"I miss you, too," I say quietly, "And I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance to explain. That was wrong."

"I get it," he says, "I probably would have done the same."

"Well, if it makes things easier for you, I can transfer. I think Hunt would write me a good recommendation and there are other hospitals in Seattle, so I wouldn't have to move -"

"No! You aren't leaving. I'm not going to let my mother manipulate your life, too. You are a great doctor, and you like it here. Besides, I think Hunt would have me fired before he let you go."

"So, what? We just stay away from each other? Pretend like we both don't feel anything for each other? Like that night didn't happen?"

"No. I don't want that either. Like I said, I'm going through with the gala, mainly for the hospital. I don't want to do anything that would jeopardize our funding. But then I'm done. I'm done letting her control my life. I know what I want, and that's you. At least, if that's what you want."

"Of course I do."

He sits down on the stool and wheels over so our faces our inches apart. He looks happier than I have seen him in days.

"Yeah?" he asks. "You do?"

"Absolutely," I tell him and he caresses my cheek with his thumb before leaning in to kiss me softly. He pulls back but keeps his eyes closed, and he presses his forehead to mine.

"Two more days. We can do that, right? We can wait two more days? And then we can be together. Me and you," he says as reassurance for both of us.

"Me and you," I agree.

 **Jackson**

Reed took April home shortly after I finished stitching her up, so I am surprised to see her walk in the resident's lounge when I am grabbing my stuff to head home for the day.

"What are you doing here? I thought you took April home." I ask her while stuffing my dirty scrubs into my gym bag.

"I did, but she said she didn't need me to babysit her. I set her up on the couch with the remote and some snacks and she said she was good to go. I mean, she's my friend and all, but if she doesn't need me then I'm not going to sit around doing nothing when I could be operating," she grabs her stethoscope from her locker and throws it around her neck.

"Yeah, I guess," I reply. I mean, I get not wanting to miss out on surgeries, but the girl was just sliced open by a crazy guy with a pair of scissors. A little help wouldn't hurt. "Well, did you make sure her pain meds are close by? She's gonna need those."

"Pain meds? Oh, crap! Was I supposed to pick those up for her?" her eyes are wide with the realization that she forgot.

"You didn't get her pain medicine? Or her antibiotics? Seriously?"

"I just wasn't thinking, I guess, and she didn't mention it, either. It's not a big deal. I'll just go by the pharmacy and grab them on my way home tonight," she shrugs her shoulders and turns back to the mirror in her locker, fixing her hair.

"Tonight? Reed, you won't be off for hours. She is going to need it way before then. I'll do it. I want to check on her anyway," I close my locker a little too hard, since I am pretty annoyed with Reed right now, and throw my bag over my shoulder.

"I'm sure you do!" Reed calls after me with a laugh.

When I get to April's door with a bag of medicine and Chinese take-out, I have to do my best to juggle it all so I can grab my phone and text her to let her know I am here. I figure if I just knock she may not answer since she probably doesn't want to get up if she doesn't have to, so I text her instead. It takes her a couple of minutes, but eventually the door opens and she greets me in pink pajama pants and an Ohio State t-shirt.

"Hey," she says with a smile that lights up her whole face. "Sorry it took me so long. Come on in."

I step inside and slip my shoes off next to the door.

"Oh my gosh, is that Chinese food?" she grabs the bag from my hand and opens it up to see inside.

"Yeah, I figured you probably wouldn't feel up to cooking so I grabbed some food on the way over. You like Chinese, right? I guess I should have asked."

"It's my favorite. Thank you for bringing it. I was debating between not eating so I didn't have to get off the couch or cereal. This is much better than either of those options. I'll go grab some forks," she says and turns to walk toward the kitchen. She barely makes it two steps before I can tell she is clearly in pain and favoring her side while she walks.

"How about you let me do that?" I say, taking the bag back and stepping in front of her. "You go back to the couch. I will find the silverware all on my own. And I brought your pain meds, which you clearly need. Go sit. I'll bring everything to you."

"Jackson, it's fine, really. Besides, you're technically a guest. You shouldn't have to do all of that," she begins to step around me, so I grab her hand to stop her.

"I know I don't have to. I want to. And if you reopen your incision because you are being stubborn, then my Chinese food will get cold, so do me a favor and go sit. Please," she smiles up at me and finally agrees.

"Okay," she says, "but only because no one wants cold Chinese food."

She turns around and slowly makes her way to the couch while I figure out which way leads to the kitchen. April's kitchen is much more organized than the one I share with Karev, and everything I need is easy to locate.

When I get back to the living room, April is wrapped up in a blanket, sitting against the arm of the couch with her legs stretched out. I hand her the pain medicine and antibiotics that she should have taken hours ago and a water I grabbed from the fridge. "Here, take these first. Reed said she forgot to go by the pharmacy when she brought you home."

"You brought drugs and Chinese food? You might be my new favorite person," she says.

"That's kinda the plan," I tell her, only half-joking.

I sit on the opposite end of the couch and begin opening the little white boxes. "Okay, we have sweet and sour chicken or beef and broccoli. I'll eat either one, so you pick."

"Does it bother you to share? Cause I kind of want both," she flashes me the cutest smile, and she looks so damn adorable that I probably would have just given her all the food at that point if she asked.

"Nope, doesn't bother me at all," I agree and pass her one of the boxes.

She digs in to the food, and I can see she wasn't kidding. She does love Chinese food. "I thought we were sharing," I tease her. April looks in the box and turns a little pink when she realizes she has already eaten half the box.

"Sorry," she says sheepishly.

"I'm just messing with you. Eat whatever you want." We eat in silence for a few minutes, but it isn't awkward. It's nice, actually. I could picture myself doing this with her a lot – the two of us in our pajamas, eating take out and teasing each other on the couch. And now that I have that picture in my mind, it's all I want.

"How are you feeling?" I ask her, breaking the silence.

"Pretty sore, actually. I guess that's to be expected, though, right?" she shrugs and takes another bite of her chicken.

"Yeah. Hopefully the pain meds kick in soon," I reply, my mind briefly running over the events of the day. "You know Hunt had to sedate that guy just to stitch him up? Guy gets in a prison fight but then can't handle a few needles." It was probably better that Hunt made the decision 'cause I would have sent him back and let him take his chances, but I leave that part out.

"I can't believe you punched him," April's face is a mixture of surprised and impressed. "How's your hand?"

"It's fine. Doesn't even hurt. And he deserved a lot more than a punch in the face. He could have seriously injured you." I lean over and set my now empty box on the coffee table.

"But he didn't," she says, "I'm fine, thanks to you and you're _amazing_ doctor hands." She's teasing me now, so I grab a handful of fortune cookies out of the bag and toss them at her.

"Hey!" she squeals and tosses them back.

"What are you doing?" I laugh as cookies pelt me in the head.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm throwing cookies," she laughs.

I throw my hands up defensively and call a truce, "Okay, stop! Stop!"

She ceases fire with the cookies and picks one up, opening the wrapper. "I love fortune cookies! Aren't you going to eat one? They are the best part of ordering Chinese food."

"Sure," I agree, and grab one off the blanket covering her legs. "You go first. What's your fortune?"

She pops half the cookie in her mouth and crunches on it. "Hmm. Interesting. It says, "Even if something seems like it cannot be fixed, it doesn't mean it's broken."

"Profound," I say, and she picks up on my sarcasm.

"Shut-up," she laughs. "Read me yours."

I crack open my cookie and pull out the little slip of paper. I clear my throat and read my fortune aloud, "The only wrong thing you can say is nothing at all."

"Uh-oh, is there something you need to say, Jackson?" April smiles knowingly as if she is sure this fortune was hand-picked just for me.

I set my fortune and cookie on the table next to my empty box. Being careful not to put any of my body weight on her I move forward over her until my hands rest next to her hips and my face is inches from hers. "There is."

"I'm listening," she whispers.

"I really want to kiss you right now," I tell her.

Her hands find my face and she leans forward to close the distance between us, proving once again that she is everything I need.

She pulls me in to deepen the kiss and all of the stress and anger I have been carrying fades away. I tangle my hand in her hair at the back of her head as she slips her hands under my hoodie. She runs her fingers lightly up and down my sides, and I feel myself beginning to react to her touch. _She's a virgin, she's a virgin_ , I tell myself. But that thought is hard to remember when she grabs the sides of my hoodie and pulls it over my head. She runs her hands over my chest and down to the waist band of my gym shorts. Her fingers play along the inside of my shorts suggestively, and then she shocks the hell out of me by moving one hand to the front of my shorts and moaning as she wraps her hand around me.

"April. What are you doing?" I say against her mouth.

"Do you not want to do this?" she asks.

"Do what?" I sit up to look at her. Surely she is not saying what I think she is saying.

She bites her bottom lip and looks up at me, smiling. "You're really going to make me ask?"

"April, I am not having sex with you." I am shocked that she is even suggesting this right now.

Her smile fades and she looks down at her lap, "Oh. I just thought–" The sadness in her voice pulls at my stomach, and I feel like an ass.

"That came out wrong," I explain, "What I meant to say is I'm not having sex with you _tonight_. Believe me, I want to. I do. But I want it to be right. You literally just got stitches today, and I am still dealing with this Meredith mess. When we have sex, I don't want us to have any doubts or questions…or open wounds." That gets a smile from her, and I think she understands. "Please don't think I am rejecting you because I am not. That is the last thing I am doing. In fact, I will probably kick myself for the rest of the night for not going through with this, but am I making any sense?"

She traces my bottom lip with her thumb and nods, "It makes a lot of sense. Can we still make out though?"

"Absolutely."


	8. Chapter 8

**April**

The morning of the gala I wake to Jackson running his fingers through my hair. I smile, but I don't open my eyes. I want to enjoy this feeling for just a bit longer. Jackson showed me I really can trust him. He was there for me when I needed him with no expectations in return. And waking up next to him, after weeks of thinking we could never be this close again, is the best feeling. Ever since we talked things through, Jackson has been staying over. He claims that he just wants to make sure I am healing correctly, but unless he thinks he is healing me with his hands and mouth, I can't help but think there are other perks to him staying.

I finally blink a few times to adjust my eyes to the morning light and see him looking over at me with his head resting on his pillow and his fingers still combing through my hair.

"What?" I ask shyly. Suddenly, I feel self-conscious. I have woken up next to him before, but this time feels different.

"Have I ever told you how much I love your hair?" he asks.

"My hair?" I laugh. "Are you sure you're awake?"

"No, I'm serious," he insists. "Your hair is the first thing I noticed about you. You were standing behind Reed and Charles on the day of the merger, and I didn't hear a thing they said because all I wanted to know was who the gorgeous red-head behind them was."

"Really?"

He nods, "Really. I couldn't take my eyes off of you."

I take his hand from my hair and bring it to my mouth, kissing it and then interlocking my fingers with his. "You're sweet. I noticed you, too, but I'm sure you know that. I just didn't think you were available."

"Well, I am. Or I was."

"That's right. You _were_." I emphasize. "I can't wait to see you in your tux tonight."

"I'm going to look the same as every other guy in the room. We'll all be stuffed into penguin suits trying to look comfortable while we tell lame stories trying to one up each other. Or at least that's what all the other guys will be doing. I'll be too busy watching you." He brushes his thumb over my cheek, and although what he is saying is sweet, I cannot miss the sadness in his eyes.

He sighs and rubs the back of my hand with his thumb. "You remember what I said about the gala, though, right? I am going with Meredith to keep the peace with my mom, but I am gonna spend the whole night wishing I was with you instead."

"I remember. I don't like it, but I can deal for one night. I'm sure I can distract myself. But if you get a chance to steal a moment with me, I will be more than willing to follow you. Sneaking around could be fun."

"Oh, really?" he looks pleasantly surprised. "You like sneaking around? Well, I will make sure to find time for that." He scoots across the bed to press his body against mine and opens his mouth against my neck flooding my body with warmth and causing my toes to curl. His tongue draws a path to my ear taking away my ability to form a coherent thought. I moan softly when his mouth connects to mine, and I grab the sides of his face to pull him in closer, not wanting this to end. I expect him to stop us from going further like he has each night before, but instead I feel his fingers slide under the hem of my shirt and graze across my stomach until they meet the curve of my breasts. His runs his fingers back and forth, and it's as if I can feel the tips of his fingers throughout my entire body. I have never wanted to be touched so badly.

He pulls away and looks down at me with a mischievous smirk. "You're not wearing a bra."

"I know."

"Are you okay with this?" he asks as he continues to tease me with his fingers.

I raise my head just enough to look directly into his eyes. "I want you to touch me."

He kisses me deeply and the moan that comes from the back of his throat tells me he has been waiting to hear those words. He takes my breast in his hand squeezing with just enough pressure to make me want more. I gasp at the feeling of his hands touching me where no one else has, and he leans close to my ear to whisper, "I can't wait to touch you everywhere."

I breathe his name, "Jackson…" as he lowers his body down the bed and presses his mouth against my stomach, sucking on the skin around my belly button before trailing kisses up to my chest, careful of my incision. He pushes my shirt up to expose my breasts, and I can feel the heat rising in my face. I cross one arm across my chest, covering what I can.

He raises his eyes to meet mine, "Do you want me to stop?"

"No. I just – no one has ever seen me like this," I say quietly, knowing it sounds ridiculous but unable to hide my insecurities.

"Don't cover yourself. You're beautiful," he assures me, pulling my arm away slowly and kissing the inside of my wrist before lowering it to my side. His mouth returns to my skin, and he follows the curve of my breast with his tongue starting at my stomach and moving up toward my nipple, but he stops just before he reaches the tip and moves to the other breast to do the same. He continues sucking and teasing my breasts until I am arching my back wanting more.

He senses my want and gives in to me, taking my breast fully into his mouth, caressing my nipple with his tongue and sucking on it until it stands erect for him. I am unable to control the sounds escaping my lips, and I moan with undeniable pleasure. I lay there, thinking that I didn't know anything could feel this incredible, and then he takes my other breast in his mouth, and I am lost in the sensations he is creating in my body all over again. All I can think is how I want my body to be his. I want him to touch me, and put his mouth on me, and I want to give him all of me.

"Jackson?" I pant.

"Hmm?" his mouth still on my body.

"I want you." the need in my voice is enough to make him stop and look up at me.

"What?" he asks.

"I want you. I mean, if you want me. I want to be with you completely. In every way."

"Are you sure?" he asks. "I don't want you to feel pressured or anything. I am perfectly happy with what we are already doing, believe me."

"I'm sure. I want this." I tell him without hesitation, because it's true.

"Okay. Well, I can't believe I'm about to say this twice in forty-eight hours, but we should wait until your healed."

I make a face at him to show my annoyance. "Your concern is sweet, but really, I'm fine. I can barely even feel it now."

He sits up and runs his hand over his head with a sigh, clearly frustrated. "Tonight," he says.

"Tonight? Tonight is the gala. Aren't you going to be a little busy?" I remind him.

"After. I want to be completely free of all obligations to my mother or Meredith, so that you know, without a doubt, that I am committed to you. Besides, it will give us something to look forward to. It will make me happy to know that even if you aren't by my side at the gala, I get to spend the night with you in my arms."

"Well, if you put it that way…" I bite my bottom lip and pretend to be considering his proposal, "That sounds absolutely perfect."

 **Jackson**

I dragged myself away from April's bed much earlier than I wanted, but my mother has a long to-do list for me when I arrive at the ballroom of the Sorrento Hotel. The room is impressive. White tablecloths cover the circular tables and the fine china is already perfectly placed at each table setting. The light from the chandeliers reflects off the wine glasses and the room is abuzz with people falling over each other to complete each task my mother demands of them.

"Jackson! You're late! Do you realize how much still has to be done?" my mother spots me as soon as I walk in the door and heads over to begin telling me what I have already done wrong.

I lean down to kiss her cheek, hoping to calm her a bit, "Good morning, Mother," I place my hands on her arms and give them a comforting squeeze. "Tell me what you need."

I feel her shoulders relax, and she puts her hands against my chest, "There's my sweet baby boy. I need you to double-check the seating chart. Make sure all of the VIP guests are closest to the stage and then the rest should all be arranged according to their yearly monetary donations."

I nod, and sarcastically ask, "So basically, poor people in the back?"

"Oh, Jackson," she rolls her eyes and smacks my chest, "you make it sound so terrible."

Behind me, there is a crash of something expensive-sounding hitting the floor and my mother's eyes flash with panic before she runs off to assess the damage.

I rifle through her binder of important papers until I find the seating chart. I don't expect to have to make many changes knowing how thorough she is with details, but I grab a pencil just in case and lift myself up on the edge of the stage to get started.

The table closest to the stage is one of the most important, so I begin there. My mother and I are at this table, as the hosts, along with Meredith Grey and three of our biggest donors. I only know one of them, Dr. Derek Shepherd, and I am not surprised to see his name at our table. He is quickly becoming one of the most successful neurosurgeons in the country, so of course my mother would want to impress him.

Across the entire front row, the tables are filled with the "Who's Who" of surgeons. Some have awards, some are published in medical journals, some have legendary reputations, but all of them have money.

Directly behind my table are the two tables reserved for the honorary guests, and this year that is the staff from Seattle Grace. Honorary Guest is a nice way of saying, "They are only invited because their hospital helped pay for this."

I look through the names written around each table to find April. She is placed two tables back from mine on the opposite side. I grab my pencil and erase her name and move her to the table directly behind mine. I write her name in front of the seat that is directly to my right so that she will be in my line of vision all night. I smile to myself, hopping off the stage, and placing the chart back in my mother's binder.

My mother is busy interrogating the caterer, so I walk past her on my way out the door, calling out to her, "The chart looks good! Gotta go! Wouldn't want to be late getting Meredith!"

She nods in my direction, and I can't help but think this night just got a tiny bit better.

* * *

Meredith insists we pick up Cristina on our way to the gala, so instead of being early as I had hoped, we are now already twenty minutes late. I pull my car into the parking garage of Cristina's apartment building and Meredith calls her to let her know we are here. Once Cristina arrives, Meredith jumps out of the car and the two of them gush over who looks more beautiful until I knock on the window and motion for them to get in the car.

Cristina slides into the backseat behind Meredith, and immediately reminds me why I did not want her to ride with us.

"Geez, Avery. Why the rush?"

"Uh, this is the Harper-Avery Gala. It kind of looks bad if the Averys are late to their own event."

"I'm sure your mom's got it covered. You're not the impressive Avery, you're the pretty one, so no one cares if you're late."

"Well, I care."

They spend the entire drive to the gala listing all of the doctors they can't wait to meet tonight, but I tune them out as soon as we exit the garage.

Luckily, traffic is on my side, and I arrive at the hotel quicker than I anticipated. I leave the car with the valet, and the three of us head in to the main lobby. Meredith loops her arm through mine and smiles up at me. _A few more hours_ , I think to myself. The lobby is still quite full as many of the gala attendees greet their old colleagues and friends, but I know my mother must be impatiently waiting for me, so I guide Meredith and Cristina in the direction of the ballroom. As I open the door, I take one last glance around the lobby and stop when I see April across the room. She seems to be admiring the artwork that adorns the walls, and is oblivious to my arrival. I turn back to Meredith and Cristina who are now standing just inside the door.

"You two go ahead. I see a family friend I need to greet," I tell them.

"I'm supposed to walk in alone?" Meredith asks, appalled at the idea.

"Just go find my mother. She will be thrilled to see you. I will be there in a minute," I close the door, leaving them standing there, and make my way through the crowd.

April is turned away from me, but I can already tell she is the most beautiful woman in the room. Her long, red curls are swept over one shoulder while wisps of hair frame her face. Her navy-blue gown is strapless, and all I can think about is putting my mouth on her neck as I get closer to her. She is deep in thought and doesn't hear me approach, so I place my hands on her waist from behind and whisper next to her ear, "You look incredible."

She turns to me and smiles, "Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself," she says running her fingers down my tie.

I realize that my hands are still on her waist, and drop them reluctantly before anyone notices our stolen moment.

"This is all pretty amazing, Jackson. I've never seen anything like this."

I shrug, thinking that is has been years since I had that reaction to one of these events. "The Averys like to leave an impression."

April bites her lip, lowering her voice to make sure only I can hear her, "Well, you've certainly made an impression on me."

I shake my head in amazement that I am lucky enough to have her in my life, and I don't plan to say it, but there is no denying it's true. "I am so in love with you."


	9. Chapter 9

**This is officially the longest chapter I have ever uploaded. I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing, but for those of you still reading, here it is!**

 **Jackson**

April's eyes are wide and her mouth is open, but she isn't saying anything. I wonder if I've ruined everything by telling her how I feel. But it's true. I am all-in, risk everything, in love with her.

"What did you say?" she asks as if she didn't quite understand my words.

"I'm in love with you. I am, April. I know it's soon, and I don't want to scare you, and don't feel like you have to say it back – I just – I needed you to know." I reach up to sweep a stray hair from her forehead. "I better get in there," I say, "but I will find you after. Wait for me."

I turn to head in to the ballroom, but April grabs my hand, pulling me back to her. Without a word, she guides me around a corner and into an empty hallway. A few feet in, she stops and turns to me, and I wait for her to tell me I'm insane, that I can't possibly love her, that she can't do this any longer, but instead, she grips the lapel of my tuxedo and pushes me against the wall, kissing me hungrily. I immediately respond, taking her tongue in my mouth and pulling her hips into mine so I can feel her body against me. She moans against my mouth and slides her hands into my jacket to rest against my chest. Her lips are swollen and red when she breaks away to catch her breath, and I lean my forehead against hers, silently willing her to stay with me just a minute longer.

"I love you, too," she whispers.

I pull back to meet her eyes, "You do?"

"Of course, I do," she says as if it were obvious, "I kind of thought you knew."

"I didn't. I mean, I hoped you would one day, but God, I am so happy to hear you say it." I lean down to kiss her again, briefly, before I sigh and say, "I really should get in there. My mother is probably already contemplating writing me out of her will because of how late I am."

She laughs, and takes a step back, "Yes. Go. I'll see you inside."

"Okay."

I reluctantly walk away, through the lobby, and into the ballroom where I can see I haven't missed much. Most of the guests are out of their seats mingling and sipping champagne. I push through the crowd to the front of the room and see my seat is the only vacant one at the head table. My mother gives me a disapproving look as I pull out my chair and sit down, but I know she will not say anything critical in front of our guests.

She turns her attention to the three doctors who are rich enough to be given a seat at the head table and introduces me, "Excuse me gentlemen, let me introduce my son, Dr. Jackson Avery."

I stand, as do they, to shake each of their hands. I recognize the third doctor, the one seated next to Meredith, as Derek Shepherd.

"Jackson," he says as we take our seats again, "it's nice to finally meet you. Meredith was telling me the two of you work together at Seattle Grace."

"That's correct," I reply, "I've known Meredith since our intern year."

"Meredith was also just telling me that she is considering specializing in Neuro. Are you considering the same?"

I look to Meredith, as she has never told me she is interested in Neuro, but she is staring dreamily at Derek and does not return my gaze. I smile to myself. This night just keeps getting better. "Meredith would make an excellent Neurosurgeon," I tell Derek, "but I have already chosen Plastics as my specialty."

He doesn't attempt to hide his surprise at my answer, "Plastics, really? How interesting."

I feel my mother stiffen in annoyance next to me, but for once, I don't feel the need to justify my choice, so I don't.

Meredith is the one who breaks the silence, "Dr. Shepherd-"

"Please, call me Derek," he smiles at her, and I think I actually see her melt a little in response.

"Okay, Derek, I read that you brought a woman out of a five-year coma. I would love to hear about that surgery." Meredith leans toward him in her chair, ready to hang on his every word, and it is clear he is relishing her adoration. He begins to tell the story and the other occupants of our table listen intently as he details his heroics.

I try to politely pay attention, but I am too distracted by April entering the room. She steps inside the doorway and pauses to scan her surroundings and locate the rest of Seattle Grace's doctors. A hint of relief washes over her face as she spots them and crosses the room to take her place. Her movements are graceful and elegant as if she were born for this life, and I can't help but think that maybe she was. She finds her place at the table just behind mine and I keep my eyes on her, wanting her to look up and see me, to know I am close by. She smiles and greets everyone at her table, Charles, Alex, Webber, Sloan, and Reed who stands to hug her. I see her whisper something to Reed who looks back at her, surprised, and then nods her head in my direction. April turns and sees me looking over at her, and even in the dimly lit room, the flush in her cheeks is visible. I wink at her, and turn back to my table, not wanting it to be obvious to prospective financial donors that whatever it is they are talking about is of no importance to me.

 **April**

The caterers have made sure our champagne glasses are never empty for long, and the polite conversations that began the night have given way to laughter and less reserved banter. I had no idea what to expect of a Harper Avery Gala, but I am enjoying myself far more than I thought I would.

When the last of our dinner plates are whisked away, Dr. Hunt and Dr. Webber excuse themselves to go rub elbows with the best of our field, and Alex and Reed are near the bar, both eyeing the room for attractive singles. I glance over at Jackson's table to see all the guests still seated, listening intently to Catherine Avery speak. I watch him for a moment, and I see his eyes narrow and his forehead crease as it always does when he is deep in thought. I had hoped to catch his attention and maybe steal some time outside the ballroom, but whatever Catherine is saying has him interested.

Instrumental music fills the room, and I turn back to my table and Charles, who is still seated next to me.

"So, what do you think of your first Harper Avery Gala?" I ask him, but he doesn't respond. I follow his gaze to see what has him so distracted, and I am not surprised to see that he is staring across the room at Reed. Charles has always had a thing for her. Everyone at Mercy-West knew, except for Reed it seems.

"Charles. Charles!" I say his name loudly to break his trance, and he looks over at me somewhat embarrassed at getting caught.

He clears his throat and takes a drink of his champagne before turning and acknowledging me. "What?"

"Why don't you just tell her? Wouldn't that be better than just wondering and not knowing?" I ask him, and the irony of my advice doesn't escape me. Not long ago, someone could have said the same things to me about Jackson.

He sighs and looks down at his hands. "Come on, April. You and I both know I'm not her type. She always goes for douche bags like Karev."

"Maybe that's because she hasn't found the right guy yet. Look at her, Charles. She looks beautiful, and she is all alone at the bar, waiting for some guy to come talk to her. Be that guy. Go talk to her." I playfully push him on the arm hoping to motivate him to go before someone else does and he loses his chance once again.

"Fine," he agrees reluctantly and stands, buttoning his tuxedo jacket as he makes his way across the room to Reed.

I have never talked to Reed about her feelings for Charles, but after tonight I think I will. I would never tell her how he feels, though. I know how awful it is when people share private information firsthand, but that doesn't mean I can't drop some hints. Reed looks happy to see Charles when he makes it over to her, and I hope that is more because it is him and not because she didn't want to be alone. I can't tell what he is saying to her, but the conversation seems to be going well. Then, Charles shocks both Reed and me when he takes her by the hand and pulls her to the dance floor. If the song playing was upbeat and fast I would be less surprised, but instead a beautiful piano piece with violin accompaniment swells over the sounds of the party. Watching them dance, I can't help but smile at my two friends finding some happiness with each other.

I don't realize how focused I am until I feel someone run the back of their fingers down my arm. I look up to see Jackson standing next to my chair, smiling down at me.

"Hi," I say, surprised to see him.

"Hi," he replies. "I saw you sitting here and I couldn't shake the thought that someone as beautiful as you should never be sitting alone."

I don't think I could ever get tired of hearing him say things like that. "So, are you going to sit with me?" I ask, already knowing the answer. It would look bad if he spent the evening sitting and talking with me when he arrived with Meredith.

"No," he replies, "I'm going to dance with you." He reaches down and takes my hand, pulling gently so that I stand and follow him to the center of the dance floor. He stops and reaches for me, but I am in such shock I don't reach back.

"Jackson, what are you doing? Shouldn't you be dancing with Meredith?" I didn't expect him to take this kind of risk for me, and I don't want to jeopardize anything for him.

"She's a little preoccupied," he laughs and turns to look over his right shoulder. I follow his gesture to see Meredith dancing with one of the doctors who is seated at the head table with her and Jackson. She is staring dreamily up at him as if they were the only two people in the room.

"Oh!" I can't help but laugh a little. "Well, I guess she won't mind."

He reaches for me again, wrapping his arms around the small of my back, and this time I let him pull me in. My arms fit perfectly across his shoulders, and he rests his head against mine. "I wouldn't care if she did," he whispers.

I resist the urge to kiss him and instead press closer into him, wanting to be as close to him as possible.

"Are you having a good time?" he quietly asks me.

"I am. I'm actually having a wonderful time," I respond.

He pulls back to look at me, eyebrows raised, skeptical of my answer.

"I promise! I am!" I tell him, laughing.

A smile spread across his face, "Good. Cause I plan to bring you to many more of these."

It is my turn to look surprised, "I doubt your mother would allow that."

"It's not up to her. She told me tonight she is retiring and passing the company, along with all its responsibilities, down to me. The important decisions will be all mine, and being with you is the most important decision I could make."

We dance in silence for a few moments, while I process what he has just told me. "You would really want to bring me to more galas?"

"Not just more galas," he says, "All of them. Everything. I want you by my side for everything from now on, if that's want you want as well."

"Jackson. Of course, that is what I want."

"Good," he replies, and we fall silent again, swaying together to the music.

I don't know how long we stay like this, our bodies connected, as one song fades and another begins, over and over again. But I do know I never want it to end. I want all of my dances to be with only him forever, but for now, I will live in this moment and this dance.

Eventually, our dance does end. The music fades, and Jackson walks me to my seat, pulling out my chair for me before returning to his own table. Catherine Avery is on stage at the microphone and every head in the room is turned toward her, waiting for her to speak.

"Good evening," she begins, "I would like to take the opportunity to thank each one of you for being here tonight. The Harper Avery Foundation was founded both to ensure that hospitals across the country are providing exceptional medical care to their patients and to recognize those doctors who make it happen. Without each of you, our vision would not be possible. And while I know that none of you are here to hear me speak, I must take this opportunity to share some news regarding the Harper Avery Foundation. This will be my last gala as CEO. As of tomorrow, I will be retiring and placing the company in the capable hands of my son, Dr. Jackson Avery." Jackson stands and offers a small wave to the round of applause Catherine's announcement has created. "I have no doubt that he will continue to lead this company to great success in all his endeavors, and I know he looks forward to working with each of you as well. Speaking of each of you, let's get to the real reason we're all here: money!" Her bluntness is met with laughter, and she goes in to great detail about how funding works both for and from the Harper Avery Foundation.

I listen at first, but this is not a topic I am exactly interested in, so it doesn't take long for my mind to wander. Jackson hasn't told me much about his family's company. I know from their reputation in the medical field that they are quite wealthy and hold controlling interests in hospitals across the country, but I don't know exactly what running the company will mean for Jackson. Catherine spends most of her time traveling, meeting with donors, visiting hospitals, and holding meetings. From what I have heard, she used to be an impressively skilled urologist, but I can't imagine how long it has been since she has seen the inside of an O.R. But what does that mean for Jackson? He is just beginning his career as a surgeon. Surely he won't give that up to sit in a board room. But what if he has no choice? The Harper Avery Foundation controlled much of his life already and he wasn't in charge, so what will it be like now? I try to push those thoughts from my mind, but I can't completely shake the idea that Jackson might be leaving Seattle Grace.

* * *

The gala continues well into the night, and it is close to one a.m. when Jackson finally feels able to break away without being rude to his guests. He asks me to meet him in the lobby while he says goodnight to his mother, so I run out to my car and grab the overnight bag I packed just in case Jackson wanted to stay at his place tonight.

When he joins me in the lobby, he eyes my bag and smiles. "You packed a bag?"

"I, um, I wasn't sure if we were staying at your place or mine, so I wanted to be prepared either way. I mean, last time I stayed at your place wasn't planned, so I figured this time I would bring a few things. But if you're too tired, I can just go home. We can do this another night," I'm rambling now, which I do when I get nervous.

Jackson reaches out and takes the bag from me and pulls it on to his shoulder. "I am not too tired. I just had another idea in mind besides going back to my place."

He places a hand against the small of my back and leads me across the lobby to the elevators. He presses the up arrow, and once the doors open we step inside.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"You'll see."

The elevator stops on the tenth floor and I follow him through the doors and down the hallway to the right until he stops in front of door and pulls a key card out of his pocket.

"Wait, we're staying here?"

"We are. If that's okay with you," he says, sliding the card into the lock and pushing open the door.

I step inside to one of the nicest hotel rooms I have ever seen. The lights are off, but the curtains are open so the light from the moon and the city creates a dim glow in the room. The king size bed is covered with a white down comforter and at least ten throw pillows. I can't help but explore the room while Jackson kicks off his shoes and takes his tuxedo jacket off, draping it over a chair. I walk to my right and peek my head in to what must be the bathroom. I flip on the light and my eyes grow wide, "Jackson, this bathroom is three times the size of my bathroom at home. This room must have cost a fortune. You didn't have to do this."

"I know I didn't," he tells me, "I wanted to. Besides, this way, there is no chance of Karev ruining our night again."

I laugh, remembering that first night at Jackson's house when Alex and Reed were obnoxiously loud. "You do have a point," I say, turning off the light and heading back into the main room. The view of the city is breathtaking, and I slip off my heels by the bed and cross the room to the window to fully appreciate it. I have only lived in Seattle a few years, but this city really does feel like my home now, and I don't ever think I will tire of the way the skyline looks at night.

Jackson's arms wrap around me from behind and I lean my head back to rest against his chest. "Can I ask what you're thinking about?"

"Actually," I begin, "I was thinking about how much I love Seattle."

"Not exactly the response I was expecting…" he admits "what do you love about it?"

I take a second to give myself a chance to articulate all the little things that I have grown to love, but after running through the list in my mind, all I say is, "You're here. I love Seattle because you're here."

He kisses the top of my head and says into my hair, "I feel the same."

I turn to face him and place my hands against his chest, "So, does that mean you aren't leaving?"

"Leaving?" he furrows his forehead in confusion.

I shift my weight from one foot to the other, not exactly sure how to ask this, "Well, you're running the company now, and I know your mother travels a lot, so I just thought you would be too. Isn't that part of the requirement?"

"Oh! That's what you're worried about," he takes my face in his hands and strokes my cheek with his thumb. "I'm not going anywhere. Yes, my mother travels a lot, but she always has. Even before she ran the company, she was always away. I was practically raised by a nanny. But I'm not her. I like my life here, and I don't plan on changing that anytime soon. Besides, if I do have to travel, I will just take you with me," he says with a shrug.

"Well, as long as we always stay in hotel rooms like this when we travel, I am fine with that," I laugh.

"I think that can be arranged," he says with that smile that makes his eyes shine.

I grab his tie and pull lightly, lifting up on my tiptoes to kiss him. His lips are soft on mine and he tastes like champagne. I move my hands up to untie his tie and slide it out of the collar of his shirt, dropping it to the floor. My mouth stays on his while I untuck his shirt and unbutton it quickly, as if this isn't the first time I have done this. He slides his arms out of the sleeves and tosses the shirt behind him before grabbing my waist and pulling me against him to deepen our kiss. His hands slide up my sides and then move to my back, his fingers playing with the zipper on my dress. He inches the zipper down a few inches before whispering against my mouth, "Is this okay?"

I take a step back, and my eyes wash over his muscular chest which is only highlighted by the soft light. I return my eyes to his and bite my lip, partly from nervousness and partly from anticipation, before I reach my arms behind me and unzip my dress the rest of the way. It falls and pools around my feet, and a flush of warmth floods my entire body as Jackson's eyes look me up and down. In this moment, I am more than thankful for the dim lighting. I made sure to wear one of my only matching bra and underwear sets, but now that Jackson is seeing me in them for the first time, I am a bit self-conscious.

I wait for him to say something, knowing that standing here so vulnerable in front of him is new territory for me. Instead, he reaches a hand up to my hair and pulls out the clip holding it in place. My long curls fall loose down my back. Jackson reaches out and runs his fingers through some of the curls and whispers, "God, you're beautiful."

He takes my hand and guides me to the bed, pushing the pillows to the floor. He sits on the edge and pulls me in to stand between his legs. His hands grip the back of my thighs before moving up over my butt and to the back of my bra. He unhooks the clasp with ease and slips it off. I don't cover my breasts this time. I want him to see me. To touch me. And he does. He pulls me closer and hungrily closes his mouth over one of my breasts. I grip his shoulders to steady myself through the waves of pleasure his mouth is creating before lifting my legs to straddle him. His mouth stays on my breasts, teasing and pulling at them, and I begin to rock my hips against his needing to find a release for the building pressure between my legs. I reach down and grab his belt, unbuckling it, "Why are these still on?"

He wraps his arms around my back and moves me to his side, laying me down on the bed. He stands to remove his pants, and he removes his underwear along with them. I don't know why I am a bit shocked to see him standing next to me completely naked. I knew I would see him naked tonight. It's just different actually seeing him. I know that my eyes linger on his body, but I can't help but stare. He is beautiful. And extremely well-equipped. I'm impressed, but also nervous. All of the nervousness I had managed to suppress earlier rises to the surface, and right now, I am feeling incredibly inexperienced.

Jackson lays down between my legs, and I can feel his erection pressed against my thigh. He kisses my neck before moving to suck the skin on my collarbone. I never want his tongue to leave my body, and I squeeze my legs around his hips, lifting my own hips to create friction for the pulsing I cannot ignore between my legs. His lips leave my collarbone, and he trails kisses between my breasts and down my stomach. Once he reaches the top of my underwear, I expect him to stop, but instead he lifts his head and presses his mouth directly against my center through my underwear. I gasp and push my body up the bed with the heels of my feet to move away from him.

He looks up at me with raised eyebrows and a knowing smile, "You okay?" he asks me.

I don't realize how breathless I am until I try to answer him. "I – I, yeah. I just, um…I don't know how to do this…"

"How to do…oral?" he looks like he is trying not to laugh and I want to roll on to the floor and under the bed to die of embarrassment. Instead, I don't attempt words again and just nod.

"You don't have to do anything. Just relax and let me do everything for you," he scoots up to close the distance I created and keeps his eyes on mine as he begins kissing down my inner thigh. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, knowing that I can trust him. He is taking his time with me, which I appreciate, and I when I feel him press his mouth against me again, I let the feelings come. I have no control over the noises that escape my mouth. His slips his fingers under the waistband of my underwear, and I lift my hips in agreement so he can pull them down my legs and off my body. I have never been completely naked with a man before, but I force myself to keep my eyes closed and just let myself be in this moment with him.

I feel his tongue first, exploring my folds, working over and around my swollen need for him. His name is falling from my lips over and over again as if I keep saying it, the feeling he is creating with his mouth will never end. I can't imagine how this could feel any better until he begins alternating the movements of his tongue with sucking in the exact right places. My moaning his name changes to just moaning as he slips a finger inside me putting pressure exactly where I want it. My hips are lifting off the bed now in need of more, and I reach down to grip his head wanting a release of some kind.

"You're close, aren't you?" he asks without lifting his head.

"I-I think so," I whisper.

"Good. Just relax and let it happen. Come for me, April."

And I do, calling his name loudly, and I have no control over the movements of my hips against him as he continues to move his mouth against my center while I come down from my orgasm.

I open my eyes to see Jackson watching me, and I can feel my cheeks flush when I think about him seeing me have my first orgasm, but I am not embarrassed. I am sure that there is no one else I would rather have see me this way. I am completely and totally in love with him.

"Come here," I say, reaching out my arms for him.

He moves up to kiss me gently on the lips, and asks "Do you need a minute?"

I kiss him again, "No. I need you."

He grins and reaches over to the night stand and opens the drawer to pull a condom from the box he must have placed there earlier today. I watch him as he opens the package and slides the condom down his length. He positions himself between my legs again pushing my thighs apart slightly more than before, and I wonder if he can feel how fast my heart is beating.

He is hovering over me, holding the weight of his body with his arms, and I can feel the tip of his erection just at my entrance. His mouth finds my neck again and then moves up to my ear, stopping to whisper, "Are you ready?"

"Yes," I whisper back, "Just go slow?"

"Of course," he responds before slowing pushing inside me. I know he isn't even all the way in when I whimper quietly from the discomfort. He stops to give me time to adjust to his size, and I try my best to relax for him.

The pressure is still there but has lessened so I squeeze his shoulders and quietly say, "I'm okay. Keep going."

His kisses my forehead and pushes deeper inside of me, past my barrier. The pain is quick and sharp, and I can't help but react, louder this time. Feeling him inside me for the first time is an intense mix of pain and pleasure, but I know that soon the pain will leave and the pleasure will take over. He looks down at me concerned, but I reassure him to keep going by spreading my legs just a little farther apart and grabbing his hips to pull him even closer. He understands what I need, and begins to move slowly inside me.

"You feel incredible," he half-moans as his rhythm begins to quicken. I can feel the warmth building between my legs again, and each time he thrusts into me it grows. I lift my legs and wrap them around his body so that he can go even deeper, and I can feel even more of him. In this position, he hits a spot inside of me that sends waves of pleasure through my body, and I know he is going to make me come again soon. I am moaning his name repeatedly, and he must know I am close because he reaches between us to use his fingers to push me over the edge completely. My muscles tighten and release around him as my hips move uncontrollably against his. This orgasm is much stronger than the first one and just as I think I am coming down from it, his fingers are on me again setting off a new wave of pleasure throughout my nerve endings while he reaches his climax inside of me. I hear him moan my name and, exhausted, my legs drop to the mattress while he collapses on top of me, our bodies still connected. We lay together, letting our breathing slow, neither one of us wanting to separate from the other.

After a minute, he lifts his head from my chest and looks up at me with a content smile. "That was perfect," he says running his thumb along my bottom lip. "You're perfect. Are you okay? Are you glad we did that?"

"I couldn't be happier," I say.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry it took so long to update! Real life was calling. But thanks for hanging in there. Enjoy chapter 10!**

 **April**

"Oh, that's crap!" Alex says as he tosses his study manual on to my coffee table.

"He didn't ask for any favors, you guys. They just understand that he has other obligations," I tell them, trying to defend the hospital's decision to let Jackson take his boards earlier than the rest of us.

"We all have other obligations," Meredith says, rolling her eyes at my argument. "But we don't all get special treatment."

"Special treatment?" I scoff. "You're Ellis Grey's daughter and you are sleeping with Derek Shepherd. No one in their right mind would fail you. I'd say that's pretty special treatment."

It's been a month since the Harper-Avery Gala, and Meredith and I are actually getting along fairly well, but that doesn't mean I won't speak up for myself and Jackson, too.

"She's got you there, Mer," Cristina surprisingly agrees with me. "When does pretty boy get back anyway? Ever since his mom gave him the company, it seems like he's always gone. That can't be good for your relationship."

"He gets back tonight. I am picking him up at the airport. And not that it is any of your business, but our relationship is just fine, thank you very much." I'm not lying. Our relationship has been amazing, but a part of me does agree with her that he has been gone a lot this last month. He always invites me on his business trips, but with the boards coming up next week, I haven't taken him up on any of the offers. I don't have famous doctor parents to ensure that I will pass. I have to earn this. "Alright, back to studying. Next question, Alex."

"My next question is where's the pizza? I thought you ordered it like an hour ago," he complains.

"I did, but then Reed offered to grab it on her way home. She should be here any minute. Focus, Alex. We have one week until the boards."

"Give it a rest, April. If we don't know it by now, we aren't going to learn it," he tells me leaning his head back against the couch and closing his eyes.

"Um, not with that attitude you aren't!" I pick up his study manual from the coffee table and smack him in the head with it. "Wake up!"

The door opens and Reed walks in with Charles right behind her.

"Well, I guess we know what took her so long," Cristina snarks.

"Hey, guys!" Reed calls out and Charles takes the pizza boxes from her hands and sets them on the table in the middle of us all.

"I'll grab some plates," I offer and head to the kitchen. I open the cabinet where we keep our paper plates and napkins and grab those knowing that I will be stuck doing the dishes if I use the real plates. I make it back in the living room just in time to see Alex considering setting his pizza directly on the arm of my couch. "Gross! No!" I tell him and toss him a plate first before setting the stack next to the pizza boxes and letting the others fend for themselves. I notice that most of their drinks are getting low, so I head back to the kitchen for refills. On my way, my phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out to see that I have a text from Jackson.

Jackson – Surprise! My plane got in early. Can you pick me up now or are you busy?

April – Seriously? Yay! Of course, I can pick you up. I can't wait to see you!

Jackson – Me too, babe. I missed you.

April – I missed you more. I'll hurry!

I have picked Jackson up from the airport several times since the gala, but each time I still get butterflies in my stomach at the idea of seeing him again. I slip on my flats and grab my keys from the hook by the door.

"Are you leaving?" Reed asks through a mouthful of pizza.

"Yep. Jackson just texted me. His flight got in early, so I'm going to pick him up," I know I have the cheesiest grin on my face, but I don't care. I am not trying to hide my excitement.

"Well, I guess studying is over then," Alex quips.

"I'm sure you are heartbroken!" I yell over my shoulder as I close the door behind me.

The traffic is light, and I make great time getting to the airport which only heightens my excitement. Jackson's flight landed at terminal C, so I park my car in the garage connected to it and take the elevator to the luggage claim. When the elevator doors open, I step out and look around to see if I spot Jackson, and a little squeak escapes my mouth when I see him standing near the luggage carousel, with his back to me, looking down at his phone with his suitcase is at his feet. I half-run across the room to where he is standing, and when I get to him I wrap my arms around him from behind and squeeze him tightly. "Hello handsome stranger," I say against his shoulder.

I feel his shoulders relax when he realizes it's me, and he turns, wrapping his arms around my waist, and lifting me up off the floor in the tightest hug. "God it's good to see you," he says against my ear, and I pull back just enough to kiss him, suddenly wishing we were not in an airport surrounded by people.

He sets me down gently, and I look up at him hopefully, wondering if he is as adventurous as I think he is.

"What is that look for?" he asks suspiciously.

I run my hands up and down his biceps, and explain, "Well…I was planning to take you back to my place when I picked you up, but everyone is over there studying for the boards."

"Oh, well, that's okay," he shrugs, "They all have early shifts tomorrow, right. They'll probably leave early."

"Maybe…" I say, feeling confident that he will go along with my idea, "But I don't want to wait."

A mischievous smile appears on his face, and he asks, "Wait for what?"

"How about I show you?"

We barely shut the doors on the backseat of my car before our hands are on each other. I kiss him deeply, thinking how much I have missed the feeling of his mouth on mine, and I feel him smile at my eagerness.

"Are you sure you wanna do this here?" he asks breathlessly.

I grab the bottom of his grey hoodie and pull it over his head in one movement. "Absolutely," I whisper, "I want you." I run my hands down his chest, never getting enough of how his muscular body feels against my touch. He follows my lead, pulling off my shirt as well, and tossing it into the front seat. I climb on to his lap, straddling him, and he dips his face to cover the exposed parts of my breasts with kisses. I take his hands in mine and guide them around to my back, placing them next to the clasp of my bra. "Take it off," I urge him, and his eyes flit up to meet mine briefly before he complies with my request. My teal bra drops to the floor of the car, and his mouth cannot get enough of my breasts. He makes sure to pay equal attention to them both, alternating between teasing and sucking each nipple until they stand erect and I can't help but to press myself against him, wet and warm and needy.

I unbutton my jeans and lift off him to slide my pants and underwear off, dropping them next to my bra.

"Damn, April," he says under his breath, and I slide my hands into the waist band of his basketball shorts.

"I want these off," I pant, and he lifts up just enough to pull off his remaining clothing so I can climb back on top of him.

He grips my ass with one hand, pulling my body close to his, and tangles his other hand in my hair, tilting my head to the side and kissing my neck just under my ear before moving all the way down to my shoulder where he closes his teeth on my skin just hard enough to make me moan his name. His erection is pressing against my thigh so I wrap my hand around it and begin to rub up and down his length feeling him grow even more in response. Jackson slides his hand around to the front of my body so his fingers can explore me both outside and inside. He feels how wet I already am for him, and he smiles at me saying, "I guess you really did miss me, huh?"

"So much," I moan. Usually I am all about foreplay, but I don't need any of that tonight. "Do you have a condom?"

His head falls back against the seat, "Damnit! They are in my suitcase in the trunk."

I begin counting, thinking back to see how many weeks it has been since the gala. "It's fine. I'm on the pill now. We don't have to use one."

His eyes grow wide in disbelief, "Are you sure? It won't take me long to grab one. I know right where they are."

"I'm sure. You can come inside me. I want you to," I tell him.

"You do? It will really only take–" I kiss him to cut him off, and I don't take my mouth off of his while I lift my hips and slide down on to him, adjusting my knees farther out to each side and feeling him push deeper inside of me.

"You feel incredible," he sighs, and grips my hips, as I begin to move on top of him. This is the first time I have been on top, and Jackson feels much deeper than usual from this angle allowing him to easily hit the spots inside me that he knows will send me over the edge.

In no time, my moans grow louder and louder until they turn into cries of pleasure and Jackson is lifting his hips to meet mine, knowing that in this moment, my body is completely his. He moves a hand to my center, moving his thumb in circles against my most sensitive area, and the combination of him inside of me and his fingers outside of me, both touching me exactly where I need brings me to my climax. I tighten around him, calling out his name, and he comes just after I do, emptying his warmth inside of me. Making love to him like this, completely, with no barriers, makes me feel more connected to him, and I know that I want every time to be this way with him from now on.

I drop my head to his shoulder, both of us exhausted and trying to steady our breathing before coming back to reality completely. He lightly runs his fingers up and down my back, and I am in no hurry to move my body from his. He leans his head to the side to rest against mine whispering, "I love you."

"I love you, too," I say in return, "Welcome home."


	11. Chapter 11

**Jackson**

I am jolted awake by the wheels of the plane hitting the runway unsteadily. I sit up in my seat and look out the smudgy airplane window, trying to remember which city I just arrived in. Boston. I'm in Boston. I have been traveling so much that the past several weeks have become a blur of airports, hotels, surgeries, and meetings. I pull my phone from my pocket and hold down the power button to turn it on. April's face smiles up at me from my screensaver, and I hit my message icon to let her know I landed.

Jackson – Hey babe. I just landed in Boston. How is studying going?

April – Ugh. I'm going to fail my boards. I know it. Glad you made it safely.

Jackson – You're not going to fail. You are an amazing surgeon. Don't psyche yourself out. I'll call you tonight after my meeting. Love you.

April – Love you more.

The other passengers begin filing off the plane so I put my phone in my pocket, quickly grab my bag from the overhead bin, and get in line. Thankfully, I am only staying two nights, so I didn't have to check any luggage and I can avoid the crowd of people waiting at the luggage carousel. My driver is already waiting with the car at the curb when I step outside, and he loads my bag into the trunk while I slide in the backseat.

"We're headed straight to Mass Gen, right?" he asks over his shoulder while settling into the driver's seat.

"Yes. Thanks." I reply, not interested in small talk. I hadn't planned to sleep on the plane, so now I need to use this time to go over my talking points for the meeting.

He seems to get the hint, and when there is a clear moment in the traffic, he pulls the car from the curb and heads to the hospital.

* * *

The meeting drags on and on as the board members haggle over the new budget proposal. In the end, they decide to renew last year's exact budget making the meeting essentially pointless. I try to hide the irritation on my face as I gather my copy of the paperwork and slide it, along with my laptop, into my bag.

"Dr. Avery, do you have plans for the evening?" a familiar voice asks.

I look up and see two of the board members standing next to my chair. One of them, a tall, stoic man named Dr. Preston Burke, and a shorter one, whose expression is equally as serious, named Dr. Robert Stark. I'm not sure what they are about to suggest, but they don't strike me as guys who know how to have fun.

"Nothing specific. I was just planning to grab some food and head back to my hotel room. Did you need me for something?" I ask, hopeful they will say no.

"Oh, that sounds like a boring way to spend a night in Boston. Come out and have a drink with us. We promise it won't be all business," Dr. Burke says. I know it's only a suggestion, but I don't feel like I have much of a choice.

"Sure," I say relucantly, "Sounds good."

Dr. Burke pats me on the back as if this is the best news he has heard in a while, "Great, Jackson. Great. I'll drive. Meet us in the lobby in five minutes?"

"Sure," I say again, and I sling my bag over my shoulder and head to the door wondering what I just got myself into.

* * *

We decide on a bar downtown that Burke and Stark say the doctors from Mass Gen frequent often after work. They say a few hellos and introduce me to some colleagues before we take a seat at the bar. I glance at the clock behind the bar and am surprised to see how late it has gotten. I promised April I would call her tonight, so I make a mental note to make sure I leave early enough to catch her before she goes to bed. I know how nervous she is about her boards, and I want to reassure her one last time.

Burke says drinks are on him, so I order a Jack and Coke. I'm not much of a drinker, but I can't deny that the whiskey lets me relax in a way I haven't been able to in the last month. Taking over my family's company was something I always knew would happen, but I had no idea how much stress came with it.

"So, Jackson," Burke sets his empty glass on the bar and turns to me, "what is your plan?"

"My plan?" I ask, not sure exactly what he is getting at.

"Yes. Your plan. You're the head of the Harper Avery Foundation. Surely you have a plan. You aren't going to settle for being just another attending at Seattle-Grace are you? Surely you want more," he says this as if he is simply stating the obvious.

"Of course I don't plan to stay an attending forever, but I also don't expect special favors. I just passed my boards. I don't want to be treated differently than any other first year attending just because my name is Avery," I explain.

"Well, you should. You should expect more," Stark chimes in. "You aren't any other attending, and we see that. If Seattle-Grace doesn't appreciate what they have, maybe we can offer you something better."

"Offer me something better? I'm sorry I'm not following," I say in confusion.

Burke folds his hands, sets them on the bar, and with a completely serious face says, "Come to Mass Gen. Our head of Plastics resigned last week. The department is yours if you want it, as well as a spot on the board. We'll pay your moving expenses, set you up in a condo, whatever you need. Just say the word."

I laugh to myself, knowing this is too good to be true. "Come on, Burke. We both know you're not serious."

"I'm completely serious," he counters, and I study his face for a moment, realizing he means it.

"Why?" I ask. "You probably have a hundred applicants for that position. Why are you offering it to me?"

"Because you're the best," he replies.

"And this has nothing to do with me being an Avery? You haven't thought about how having an Avery on your board will get you access to money and awards and the foundation itself? None of that is a factor in this offer?" I ask the question, but I already know that answer. I've had things handed to me my whole life, but there was always some expectation in return. This is no different.

"I won't lie to you. All of that was taken into consideration before we decided to offer you the job, but look at it this way. It's a win-win for all of us," Burke says, "Look, take some time, think about it, and then let me know what you decide. The offer will be waiting for you for as long as you need."

He reaches out his hand for me to shake, and I return the gesture, agreeing to at least think about their offer.

* * *

Laying in my hotel bed later that night, all I can think about is the conversation I had with Burke and Stark. I had always planned on returning to Boston at some point in my career. I just didn't think it would be this soon. But I have to admit that the offer is tempting. Head of Plastics and a seat on the board? This early in my career? How do I turn that down? I am happy at Seattle-Grace, but that may be more because of April than anything else. I wonder how she would feel about moving to Boston. I would only take the job if they would hire her as well. We are a package deal. I will have to call Burke tomorrow and let him know that.

I pull my phone from my pocket to call April and wish her good luck on her boards before she goes to sleep for the night. I decide not to tell her about the job offer tonight. She is the first person I want to talk to when I have good news, but I don't want anything distracting her from her test tomorrow. I'll tell her when I get back to Seattle tomorrow. She answers her phone after the fourth ring, just as I am about to hang up, and I can tell by her sleepy voice that I woke her.

"Hello?" she mumbles into the phone.

"I am so sorry," I say, feeling like a total ass for waking her, "I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep. Pretend this never happened. I love you, and you're gonna do great on your test tomorrow, okay?"

I hear her laugh quietly into the phone. "Don't be sorry," she murmurs, "I was so exhausted I must have fallen asleep studying. But I'm glad you called. I miss you. Tell me how your meeting went. How is Boston?"

"The meeting was good. Just a bunch of stuffy board members talking over each other. You know how that goes. But Boston – man, I love this city. It's been so long since I have been home, and being back here has made me miss it. I want to bring you sometime and show you where I'm from. Would you ever want to do that?" I am hinting just a bit, trying to feel her out and see if Boston could ever be in the cards.

"I would love that," she replies and I can hear the smile in her voice which tells me she means it. "I've never been to Boston," she says sleepily into the phone.

"Good. Maybe we can make that can happen sooner rather than later. But first, you need to get some sleep. You have boards to pass and moderators to impress tomorrow. Call me as soon as you hear anything, okay?"

"I will," she yawns, "Your flight still comes in at 3:00?"

"Yep, 3:00. How about we go to dinner tomorrow night to celebrate you passing?" I suggest.

"Hey now. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I don't want to push my luck."

"Nah. You don't need luck. You're an amazing doctor, and everything you need is already in your head. You've got this, babe."

"Thank you," she says and sighs deeply into the phone. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Good-night."

"Good-night," she says, and I hear the click of the call ending. I lie in my bed, looking up at the ceiling, just thinking about how happy I am right now. I have everything I have ever wanted – a successful career, supportive friends and family, and now with April in my life, everything feels complete. I can't imagine things getting any better.

"A toast," I say, raising my wine glass, "to the newest attending at Seattle-Grace. I knew you could do it."

April is beaming at me from across the table of Del Amici's, our favorite Italian restaurant. I made reservations for dinner here after we got off the phone last night because I had complete faith that she would pass.

"Thank you," she blushes, "but you really didn't have to do all of this."

"You deserve it. Besides, we have a lot to celebrate," I say, clinking my glass against hers and taking a drink of my wine. I have been waiting all day to tell her about my job offer from Mass Gen, and now seems like the perfect time.

"Actually, we do have a lot to celebrate," she says setting her glass down on the table. "I have something to tell you."

"You do? Okay, tell me. What is it?" I ask.

"After we got our board results today, Chief Webber asked to meet with me. I figured he probably just wanted to say congratulations or something like that, but when I got to his office Dr. Hunt was there, too. It turns out that Hunt is taking a position in Psych working with PTSD patients, and they want me to be Chief of Trauma. Can you believe that? They offered me a Chief position! Running my own department. I mean, I thought maybe in a few years I could be a department head, but I never thought it would happen now. Of course, I said yes immediately. There is no way I could ever pass up a position like that. Isn't this so exciting?" She is radiating joy and happiness at the news she just shared with me, but there is a pit deep in my stomach. I am happy for her, but I can't help but feel conflicted. She deserves this job and this opportunity, but I deserve mine, too. So, what does this mean for us?


	12. Chapter 12

**April**

Dinner ends in small talk and silence. We politely congratulate the other on their job offer, but neither of us says what we were really thinking. What does this mean? What happens to us?

At the end of the night, Jackson walks me to my door, and I unlock it and step inside, holding it open for him to follow. We didn't talk about him coming over after dinner, but he always does, so it is a natural reaction on my part to expect it tonight. For the first time, though, I see him hesitate, unsure of whether he should stay or whether I want him to. I stand there with the door held open, waiting for him, and finally, he offers me a half smile and walks through the doorway.

I hang my keys on the hook by the door before walking down the hall to my bedroom, feeling him follow quietly behind me. He closes the door behind us as I cross the room and sit down on my bed with a sigh.

I feel his eyes on me, but I stare down at my hands folded in my lap. "I guess we should talk about this," I say quietly.

I feel the bed shift as he sinks down beside me. "April-" he begins, but I cut him off.

"I get it, Jackson. This is an amazing opportunity for you. Head of Plastics and a spot on the board? Not to mention you get to go home. I know how much you love Boston. I would never, ever ask you to give that up. But I can't give up my opportunity either. When I transferred to Seattle Grace, I wasn't even sure they would keep me on as a surgeon, and now they are offering me my own department. Jackson, that is something I can't walk away from. You are used to recognition, but I'm not. I have to work twice as hard and twice as long to even get people to remember my name. But this time, they picked me first. They saw my talent and potential, and they picked me."

I brace myself for his response, knowing he will probably be hurt, angry maybe. I understand if he is. I love him with everything I have, but this may be an obstacle we can't overcome.

"I get it," he says quietly, "and you deserve this. You said you wouldn't ask me to give up my job in Boston, and April, I wouldn't ask you to give up yours either. But I also don't want to lose you. I told you that I am in love with you, and I meant it. I can't imagine my life without you in it. So, I think we can do this. You can be the Chief of Trauma at Seattle Grace, and I can run Plastics in Boston, and we will talk every day and take turns flying to see each other. We can do this, April. We love each other enough to make this work." He looks so hopeful and optimistic that we are strong enough to make a long-distance relationship work, and when he says it with such confidence, I let myself believe him. We can do this.

"Okay," I whisper.

"Yeah? You think we can do this?" he asks.

"Of course, we can. You said it yourself. We love each other more than anything, and we will make it work," I say happily taking his face in my hands and kissing him softly. I pull back to look at him, studying his face with wonder at how lucky I am. "When do you have to leave?"

His face falls slightly, "Soon," he says, and I hear the sadness in his voice, "Probably within the week."

I am overwhelmed with emotion. My heart skips back and forth between the joy of our upcoming opportunities and heartbreak at the idea of being across the country from the love of my life. A single tear falls down my cheek, and I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out.

He brushes the tear from my face with his thumb, and I see my pain reflected in his eyes. "What is it?" he asks.

My head is shouting, "I'm sorry," "I love you," "I'm going to miss you," "Please don't leave," but nothing can adequately express what I am feeling. Yet I need him to know. I need him to understand how much he means to me. My fingers trace across his forehead wanting to memorize every crease, every line, every inch of his face. He looks at me curiously, wondering what I must be thinking. So, I show him. I stand in front of him, and without explanation, reach my arms behind me to unzip the dress I carefully chose to wear for him tonight. The shoulders straps are looser now, and I slide them the rest of the way off my shoulders, letting the dress slide down my waist and fall to the floor, just as it did the night I first gave myself to him.

I take a step closer to Jackson and his fingers glide up the outside of my thighs to rest on my hips, sending a rush of warmth throughout my entire body. He watches as I drop my bra and panties to the floor, and then I run my hands up his arms and rest them on his shoulders, focusing on the perfect way his shirt hugs his body. I take my time unbuttoning his shirt, revealing more of his chest as I work my way down. As I reach his waist, he takes over, untucking his shirt from his pants and pulling it over his head without bothering with the rest of the buttons. His eyes find mine and for a moment, we just hold each other there in that space, knowing what the other needs.

Then, he stands, our bodies close enough to feel the want between us. Looking up at him, I only feel loved. No fear of the future, just loved by him. He presses his lips to my forehead and I close my eyes, wanting this moment to last forever. He bends, lifting me into his arms, and I wrap my legs around him feeling as if I am exactly where I belong. He walks me around the bed, laying me down gently. I watch him unbuckle his belt and toss it on the floor along with his pants and boxers. He knows how incredible he looks standing over me in the dim light of my room, but that doesn't stop him from asking me, "What are you smiling about?"

I giggle, and feel my face blush with heat. "You."

"Me?" he asks flirtatiously, crawling on to the bed to hover over me, "What about me?"

"This," I say and lean up to kiss his chest, "and this," I move my hands around his back and grab his ass, making him laugh and shake his head, "but most of all, this," I say, wrapping my hand around his already hard erection.

"Jesus, April," he whispers, closing his eyes briefly before kissing me deeply, as I continue to caress him with my hands. He presses his mouth to my neck before kissing down my chest and across the rise of my breasts. Then I feel his hand on mine, stopping my movements and pulling away.

Confused, I ask him, "Did I do something wrong?"

"God, no. You are doing everything right. But I doubt you want me to come in your hand, and that was about to happen," he explains, smiling up at me, and I understand why he stopped me.

"You can come wherever you want, Jackson," I tell him, "We have all night." I grab his arms and pull him up so he is eye level with me, spreading my legs for him, so he can position himself in between them. I grip his hips and pull him down to me, pressing my own hips up against him, no longer wanting to wait. The warmth between my legs is waiting for him with a pulsing need. I see the surprise on his face, but all I want is our connection to be complete. He is my partner in every way, and I need to feel him complete me physically, a reminder that we will not lose each other. I nod, reassuring him that this is exactly what I want, and he pushes inside me, filling me both physically and emotionally.

Our bodies move together as they always do, in perfect rhythm knowing just what the other needs until we reach our climax together, him inside me and me around him, connected completely as we should be. The night continues that way, over and over again, both of us reassuring each other's insecurities about the future and love for each other with our bodies instead of words, until the sun begins to rise, and we drift off to sleep in each other's arms ready for whatever comes next.


	13. Epilogue

**Let me start by saying sorry that it took so long to update this story. I had planned to write several more chapters, and I may eventually go back and plug in some missing pieces, but for now, this is the last chapter to The Choice. Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed this story! I loved writing it!**

 **Epilogue: Four months later**

Before leaving, I glance in the mirror one last time feeling more self-conscious than usual about the way my dress hugs my figure. I chose an up-do for my hair because Jackson always tells me how much he loves my neck, but I am second guessing the decision to wear it up now. My black floor-length dress was purchased months ago, before I found I was pregnant, and although I'm only five months, my body has already changed so much. I turn to the side to see how noticeable my bump is, and in the reflection of the mirror I see Jackson leaning against the door frame of the room, watching me.

I turn to him with a pouty expression, "I'm not going."

His brow furrows in concern, "What are you talking about? I need you there for moral support. Plus, I want to show off my hot fiancé." A mischievous grin spreads across his face, and he crosses the room to me, placing his hands on my waist to pull me closer to him.

I'm exasperated that I even have to explain this. "That's the problem, Jackson. The last thing I look is hot. Sweaty, maybe because I'm so uncomfortable, but I do not look hot. I can't hide anything in this dress. It fit great months ago, but now my bump is obvious, and my breasts are practically falling out of the top."

"I know," he says glancing down at my chest, "That's my favorite part."

I push against his chest playfully, "Jackson! You're not helping. This is a Harper-Avery Benefit dinner. Everyone will be looking at you. I don't want to embarrass you by looking ridiculous. It really is better for everyone if I just stay home."

He moves his hands from my waist to hold both sides of my face, and bends down to kiss me slowly and softly. "April," he says keeping his face close to mine, "you look beautiful. And, of course, your body is changing. You're pregnant. But that just makes you even more beautiful. And I'm not just saying that. No one's eyes will be on me tonight because they will all be watching you. Everywhere we go people watch you in awe. I wish you could see yourself how I see you," he runs his thumb across my cheek before adding, "Besides, you're about to be an Avery, too. You belong there."

I blink rapidly to try to push the tears back that are threatening to run down my face and ruin my make-up. "You can't say sweet things to me like that when my make-up is already done. These pregnancy hormones are crazy," I laugh.

"I'll try to remember that," he tells me and kisses me quickly on the forehead. "Do you need more time? We should probably get going soon."

"I'm as ready as I'm going to get," I tell him. "Just let me grab my shoes." I find my black heels that I bought specifically for tonight and slip them on. He reaches a hand out for mine, and I take it following him out the door of our hotel room.

The benefit is in Boston this year, which I can tell makes Jackson happy. He loves being home. We spent a few days sight-seeing and doing all the touristy stuff. We walked the Freedom Trail, stopped by Fenway Park, and spent an entire day at the New England Aquarium. Jackson showed me his high school, took me to his favorite seafood restaurant right on the water, and introduced me to more Averys than I knew existed. I like Boston more than I thought I would, and having the time to experience it with Jackson has made it even better.

We've spent the last five months working on opposite ends of the country, taking turns flying out on weekends and holidays to see each other. The arrangement was working perfectly for a while, but my pregnancy has forced things to change. I have never seen Jackson more excited than the day I told him he was going to be a daddy. We went shopping right away, and he insisted on buying two of everything. About a month into my pregnancy, he proposed. I didn't hesitate to say yes. I have known since I met him that he is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. Everything is falling into place. Except our careers. We talk about the future as if our little family will all be together, but neither of us have taken the steps to transfer or move. We both love each other and love our work, but this new life growing inside of me will force one of those things to change.

A limousine is waiting for us outside our hotel, and the driver steps out to open our door for us when we exit the lobby. Jackson does not let go of my hand while I attempt to gracefully lower myself into the backseat and slide across making room for him to sit next to me. The drive from the hotel to the convention center where the gala is being held this year is not far, but the traffic is heavy tonight so it takes longer than expected. Jackson is quiet during the ride, looking out the window as we make our way through the city.

"You're quiet," I say to him, "Are you nervous about tonight?"

He turns from the window to look at me. "Nervous? No. I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

His smile reaches his eyes, and he says, "You. Me. Us. Our family. The day you walked into Seattle Grace, and how my life has never been the same since."

"In a good way?" I laugh.

"In the best way," he tells me, kissing the back of my hand that is still intertwined with his.

* * *

The room is already alive with chatter and laughter when we arrive. Jackson places a hand on the small of my back to guide me to the head table. The décor is stunning. The tables are covered in black linen with white china arranged perfectly at each place setting, and white lilies sit in the center of each table. When we reach our place at the front of the room, Catherine stands to greet us both. She has little to do with the business side of the Harper Avery Foundation anymore, but she would never miss a great party. Jackson greets her, kissing her on the cheek, and then she moves to me, squeezing me tightly in a motherly hug. Catherine and I have come a long way since our first meeting at Seattle Grace, and the fact that I am carrying her only grandchild has made our bond even stronger.

She pulls back from our hug to look at me, "You look beautiful, honey."

"Thank you," I blush, "So do you."

"How are you feeling?" she asks.

"Really good. I am questioning my decision to wear these heels, but other than that, good," I say with a laugh.

"Come sit down, babe," Jackson says, pulling out my chair for me. His instinct has always been to take care of me, but it is even stronger now that I am pregnant. I don't argue, because my feet are already swelling in my shoes, and standing is only going to make that worse.

Dinner is served shortly after we are seated, and then Jackson steps away from the table to make his rounds, engaging in small talk with all the benefactors. I watch him as he works his way around the room, charming everyone he meets. The dim lighting only highlights his striking features, and I smile to myself at how handsome he is. I hope our little boy looks just like him.

My thoughts begin to drift to images of Jackson with our baby. I can see him pacing the floor with worry on nights our son is sick. I see him beaming with pride as he watches our child take his first steps. I imagine how excited he will be when our little boy is old enough to watch basketball games with him. And eventually, I see him sitting on the floor playing with multiple children, our house full of love and laughter. I can't help but smile to myself as these images float through my mind, but I feel a pit form in my stomach, knowing none of these images will be a reality if one of us doesn't decide to make a move. We have to start thinking like parents and thinking about what is best for our child.

I am still lost in thought, when I feel a hand softly rest on my shoulder. I jump slightly as I am pulled out of my daydreams. I turn to see Jackson's sparkling eyes shining back at me.

"Are you okay?" he asks. "You seemed deep in thought."

"I was," I reply, "but they were all good thoughts."

"Well, how about you let me distract you for a bit. Come dance with me," he reaches out his hand for mine, and I take it, following his lead to the dance floor.

He pulls me in as the music rises, and I melt against him. Moving together on the dance floor, I can't help but think back to the last event we attended together. Our relationship has changed so much since that night. Back then, everything was new and unclear, but now our future is set. He is my future. Jackson and our child. We dance in silence, holding each other close, for an entire song and then stay in the center of the floor as one song fades into another, neither of us wanting to let go.

Eventually, he lifts his cheek from its resting place on my head and murmurs my name, "April?"

"Yes?" I pull back to look up at him, curious as to what he will say.

"I've been thinking about our living situation. We have to make a decision soon about where we are going to live as a family. The baby will be here before we know it."

"I know. I've been thinking about it, too," I reply, and I know now is the right time to tell him my decision. "I'm moving to Boston. It just makes sense. You are an important part of the foundation now, and your spot on the board is not an opportunity I could ask you to walk away from."

Jackson grazes my cheek with his hand and tucks a stray hair behind my ear. "You don't have to," he says beaming down at me. "I already did."

In surprise, I stop moving, forgetting that he and I are in the middle of a crowded dance floor. "What?" I ask incredulously. "Why would you do that?"

"Because of you. Well, you and our son. I've spent most of my life thinking if I could just be good enough for my mother, or if I could just prove myself a worthy enough Avery, I would be happy. But these last few months have shown me I was wrong. None of that matters. None of that makes me happy. Not the fancy job, not the seat on the board, and certainly not the foundation. You make me happy. Happier than I have ever been. And I would be a fool not to do everything I can to make you happy in return. So, I already resigned my position in Boston. I'm coming home to Seattle and to our family because everything I could ever want is waiting for me there."

"Jackson–," I begin breathlessly, "I don't know what to say. You would do that for me?"

"For you, me, and him," he whispers, resting his hand against my growing bump and leaning down to gently brush his lips against mine.


End file.
